Snake worship is common in India and it is more in Kerala.
We have already told the story of the Mannarasala Snake Temple in this blog. Now
here is the legend behind another famous and most powerful snake temple in
Kerala, Pambumekkattu Naga Temple.
This temple is situated in Thrissur District of Kerala about
10 kilometers away from Iringalakkuda Temple. It is a private temple belongs to
a Kerala Brahmin family called Pambumekkattu Mana. This family was earlier
known as “Mekkattu Mana” and was very poor. Although Brahmins, who are placed
in the upper layer of the hierarchy followed in the society on those days, they
were not in a position to have two meals a day. Disturbed with the poverty and
other tensions, then head of the family decided to undergo a bhajanam (Spending
the entire day in any temple, worshipping the god installed there) of 12 years
in the famous Shiva temple at Thiruvanchikkulam.
One day, the namboodiri (head of the family, Mekkattu) went
to the temple pond after the temple has been closed for the day. It was so dark
that he was not able to see even a foot ahead of him. He reached the pond
and stepped down. There he saw a stranger sitting on the steps leading to the
temple pond. Out of curiosity, namboodiri asked him his whereabouts. But the
man was adamant to reveal and in turn advised Namboodiri to finish up his work
and go. Namboodiri took water in the pot which was carrying with him and
started climbing up the steps to go inside the temple premises. Then the stranger
asked him to stop and came nearer him.
“Have you ever seen a ‘Manikya Stone’?” Stranger asked
Namboodiri. Namboodiri told that he has not. Then the stranger opened his hands
and shown him a stone. It was highly luminous and light up the entire area.
Astonished with it Namboodiri asked him permission to take the stone to
Kodungalloor Palace and to show the same to the Kodungalloor King. He agreed on
the condition that the Namboodiri should return the stone after showing the
same to the King.
Namboodiri took the stone and showed it to the King. Falling
in love with the beauty of the stone, the king was reluctant to return it. He
promised all his wealth for that stone. Although poor and trouble with poverty,
Namboodiri was not ready to trade the stone. He was firm that he should return
the same to its original owner as promised. He took back the stone and gave it
back to the stranger and went to sleep. On that night Namboodiri could not
sleep. He kept on thinking about the stranger. In between, he heard a sound and
mistake it as that of a cock. He thought that the dawn has arrived. He went
directly to the pond to have a bath.
There he saw the stranger again and asked him about his
whereabouts. His reply was the same as that of last night. Then Namboodiri fell
on his feet and requested him to reveal his identity in the name of Lord Shiva.
Here the stranger could not reject Namboodiri’s plea. He told Namboodiri that
he is none other than ‘Vasuki’, the snake that adorning the neck of Lord Shiva.
Then Namboodiri asked him to show his real figure. Vasuki cautioned that the
Namboodiri will become unconscious by seeing the original figure, still, he
repeated his pleas.
Then Vasuki showed his real figure and the Namboodiri got fainted.
After a brief interval, he woke up. Vasuki was sitting there in the disguise of
the stranger. Vasuki asked Namboodiri to ask for a boon. Namboodiri asked him
that the presence of Vasuki should be there in his home and he should be able
to overcome poverty. As a reply, Vasuki asked him to complete his Bhajanam
and go to his house. He promised that by that he will come thereafter
obtaining permission from Lord Shiva.
Later Namboodiri completed the Bhajanam and went back to his
home. After reaching home, when he placed his umbrella on the floor, a small
snake came out of that and changed to the form of a stranger whom Namboodiri saw
in the temple pond. It was Vasuki. He told Namboodiri that he has come there as
Lord Shiva, impressed with Namboodiri’s devotion asked him to go and be here.
He informed Namboodiri that a Nagayakshi (Wife of Nagaraja is called as
Nagayakshi) also will join him soon.
When they were talking, Namboodiri’s wife came there from
outside. When she placed her umbrella there, another small snake came out of it
and turned to the form of Nagayakshi. Then Vasuki instructed Namboodiri to
install their idols in the same place and start worshiping as per rituals. He
promised that many snakes will come there soon and instructed that they should
light a fire anywhere in the compound instead of the kitchen and temple. He also
promised that the snakes will not bite any family members and even if bitten
they will not get affected by the poison. Instead, the snake will get affected
by the poison and they should treat the snake soon.
Further, Vasuki asked to keep two traditional lamps in front
of the idols of Nagaraja and Nagayakshi. These lamps should be lighted round
the clock. The oil used in these lamps or the carbon precipitate forms around
the lamb will have the power to treat any skin related diseases. Then he gave
the Manikya Stone to the Namboodiri and asked him to keep inside the house.
From that day onwards the ‘Mekkattu’ family came to be known as ‘Pambumekkattu’.
Pambu is the word for a snake in the local language Malayalam.
From that time onward, the family never experienced poverty.
There are many legends about the greatness of this temple, but only one is
being mentioned here.
Once, the king of Pandinadu, present-day Tamil Nadu suffered
from a sort of skin disease. He has been treated by many doctors but could not
cure the same. Finally, he sent messengers to ‘Pambumekkattu’ requesting help.
The then head of the family went to the palace and cured the king. On his way
back, he was taking rest inside a forest, where he heard a loud cry. He sent
his assistants to find out the reason. They saw a lady belonging to a lower
cast as per the hierarchy followed on those days crying loudly. They asked her
for the reason and she pointed to stone and told them that when she rubbed
her sickle on that stone to sharpen it, blood started oozing out from it. When
the assistants looked at the stone they too saw the blood over there. They went
back and informed Pambumekkattu Namboodiri about it.
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| Nagaraja Temple at Nagarcoil |
He came there soon and told the gathering that this is not
an ordinary stone. Some saint has worshipped it as Nagaraja and the power is
still there. Then he installed the stone as per the rituals and asked the
locals to worship it regularly. Hearing the news many people have come there
and worshiped the newly found idol of Nagaraja. They all donated generously and
thus a small temple or Kovil as in the local language has been constructed
there. Thus the place got the name Nagaru Kovil (Temple of Nagaraja) which
later on turned to Nagarcoil.
Even now, Pambumekkattu Namboodiri has the tantric rights in
that temple. Later when the revenue increased, then head of Pambumekkattu Mana
decided to build a huge temple there and constructed one. However, on the eve of
the installation at the new temple, Vasuki approached him and told that he is
not interested to be installed in the new temple, but prefer to be there where
he is now. Thus an idol of Lord Vishnu and another idol of Shiva has been
installed in the new temple.
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