Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple

Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple is an ancient Hindu pilgrimage center in Haripad, Alappuzha district, dedicated to the serpent god Nagaraja. It is renowned as the largest serpent worship temple in Kerala, featuring over 100,000 snake images within its forested grounds. The temple holds unique cultural significance for being managed by a female priestess known as Mannarasala Amma and is visited by devotees seeking fertility blessings and healing.

Visitors can expect a serene spiritual atmosphere within a dense forest setting filled with thousands of stone and clay serpent idols along pathways and among trees. The temple complex includes the main shrine, ancestral Brahmin home (Illom), and sacred groves. Devotees participate in traditional rituals, receive blessed turmeric powder believed to have curative properties, and observe the unique tradition where only female family members conduct specific ceremonies.

The temple is mentioned in the 1891 Travancore census and The Travancore State Manual of 1906. It was visited by Christian missionary Samuel Mateer in 1880. According to legend, the temple's origin is associated with Lord Parasurama, who consecrated the idol of Nagaraja after the serpent king agreed to protect the newly created land of Kerala.

Mannarasala is one of the foremost places of serpent worship in India and holds unique importance as the only major temple in Kerala with a female priestess (Mannarasala Amma). The temple is culturally significant for fertility rituals, where childless couples seek blessings and return with thanksgiving offerings. The annual Ayilyam festival in September-October features special processions and rituals conducted exclusively by women of the Brahmin family.