This is the
most significant site of snake worship in Kerala and houses 30.000 images of
snake-gods. The shrine is under the patronage of a Namboodiri family whose
oldest female member performs the role of the temple priestess. Legend has it
that the first priestess of Mannarasala gave birth to a five-headed snake,
which is believed to reside in the illam (ancestral house) to safeguard the
family. On the day of Ayilliam asterism in
the Malaya1.am months of Kanni and Thulam (September to November), all the serpent idols in
the grove and the temple are taken in a procession to the illam where Nurum Palum (rice
flour and milk) and Kuruthi (a red liquid made
of turmeric and lime) offerings are made. At Mannarasala, barren women are
believed to be blessed with children.
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