Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple, Haripad
Sree Nagaraja, the serpent king (worshipped in a Shaiva mode, with Sarpayakshi) temple · Haripad (Mannarasala), Alappuzha, Kerala, India
Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple is a temple of the serpent deities at Mannarasala, in Haripad municipality of Alappuzha district, Kerala. The presiding deity is Sree Nagaraja, the king of serpents, worshipped together with his consort Sarpayakshi and the goddesses Nagayakshi and Nagachamundi. The temple stands inside sacred groves (kavu), and serpent images line its paths and trees.
The temple is unusual in that its highest ritual authority is a woman of the temple family, known as the Mannarasala Amma (or Valiya Amma). Its best-known festival is the Ayilyam in the Malayalam month of Thulam (October-November), when the Amma carries the image of Nagaraja in procession to the family home.
Faith & Tradition
Religious Significance of Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple, Haripad
According to the temple's account, Parasurama, regarded in Kerala tradition as the creator of the land, found the newly risen land too salty to support life. Advised by Shiva, he is believed to have prayed to Nagaraja, whose serpents made the soil fertile; Parasurama then consecrated Nagaraja here in a grove of mandara trees, a place first called Mandarasala. The temple describes the deity as uniting Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, with the aspects of Ananta and Vasuki, and says worship follows a Shaiva pattern, which is why Maha Shivaratri is also a major day here.
A second legend explains the role of the temple family. The temple and Kerala Tourism tell how a childless couple of the family tended serpents burned in a forest fire. Pleased, Nagaraja is believed to have been born to them as a five-hooded serpent child alongside a human son. The serpent son later withdrew into the cellar (nilavara) of the family home, the Illam, where devotees believe he remains in meditation, revered as Muthassan or Appooppan (grandfather).
Before withdrawing, according to the temple, the serpent son asked that his mother herself should worship him. This is the basis for the tradition that the senior woman of the family serves as Amma, living a life of austerity and performing worship on set days, such as the first day of each Malayalam month and the days before the Ayilyam festivals. The temple records that the previous Amma held the office from 1993 to 2023.
Heritage
History of Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple, Haripad
No founding date is recorded. Wikipedia notes that the temple's traditional history is set out in Mandara Salodayam, a Sanskrit poem written by a member of the temple family from accounts and texts held by the temple. It also records that the missionary Samuel Mateer visited the temple in 1880 and that it was described in the official report of the 1891 Travancore census and in the Travancore State Manual of 1906.
The temple explains the prominence of the Thulam Ayilyam through an episode involving the Maharaja of Travancore, who traditionally visited on the Ayilyam day in Kanni. When one year's journey was delayed, according to the temple, he visited in Thulam instead, met that year's festival expenses and granted the temple tax-free lands, and the Thulam Ayilyam has since been the main celebration. The temple is run by the Mannarasala Devaswom, with the head of the hereditary family serving as chief priest.
Architecture and sacred features
According to the temple, the sanctum of Nagaraja is on the southern side of the main temple and that of Sarpayakshi on the northern side; tradition holds that devotees pray first to Sarpayakshi. Nagachamundi and Nagayakshi are housed in chitrakudams, small traditional stone shrines, in the north-west of the precinct. The temple is surrounded by sacred serpent groves, which visitors are not allowed to enter.
Plan Your Visit
Darshan and Visitor Information
The temple asks visitors to dress modestly, keep noise down and use only offering items bought at the temple stalls; photography and videography are not allowed in the temple compound without written permission, and the groves are off-limits. The Amma also gives darshan to devotees at set times. Confirm current darshan timings, Ayilyam dates and offering bookings with the temple office or its official website before travelling.
Timings and arrangements change with seasons and festivals. Confirm current details with Mannarasala Devaswom (hereditary temple family) (official website) before travelling. Last reviewed 1 November 2026.
Sacred Calendar
Festivals at Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple, Haripad
Thulam Ayilyam (Mannarasala Ayilyam)
The temple's best-known festival. The Amma carries the image of Nagaraja in procession (Ezhunnallathu) from the temple to the Illam, followed by the other deities, and performs the Ayilyam puja there; Noorum Palum, an offering of rice flour and milk, is central to the rites.
Kanni Ayilyam
Observed by the temple as the birth anniversary of Sree Nagaraja, with the same procession to the Illam and a ritual diagram (padmam) drawn for the Ayilyam puja.
Kumbham Ayilyam
Honours Anantha (Muthassan), believed to dwell in the Illam cellar; the Pulasarpam Pattu rite is held at a grove north-east of the Illam around this time.
Maha Shivaratri
Observed with special importance because, according to the temple, Nagaraja's worship follows a Shaiva model.
Location
How to Reach Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple, Haripad
The temple gives Haripad railway station as about 2 km away, Kayamkulam Junction about 20 km and Alappuzha about 30 km. It is about 2 km from National Highway 66 and about 2.5 km from the Haripad KSRTC bus stand. Cochin International Airport is roughly 120 km away and Trivandrum International roughly 140 km, according to the temple; Kerala Tourism gives the Cochin airport distance as 103 km.
Location: Haripad (Mannarasala), Alappuzha, Kerala, India
Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport (about 120 km per the temple; 103 km per Kerala Tourism)
Nearest railway station: Haripad (about 2 km, per the temple)
More in Hindu temples in Kerala · Sree Nagaraja, the serpent king (worshipped in a Shaiva mode, with Sarpayakshi) temples · Temples in Kumarapuram (Ct) · Temples in Karthikappilly Taluk · Temples in Alappuzha District
Questions
Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple, Haripad: Frequently Asked Questions
Who is worshipped at Mannarasala?
Sree Nagaraja, the king of serpents, with his consort Sarpayakshi and the goddesses Nagayakshi and Nagachamundi.
Who is the Mannarasala Amma?
She is the senior woman of the temple family who serves as its highest ritual authority. According to the temple, the tradition follows the wish of the serpent son that his mother herself should worship him.
When is the Mannarasala Ayilyam festival?
The main festival falls on the Ayilyam star in the Malayalam month of Thulam (October-November). Ayilyam days in Kanni and Kumbham are also celebrated.
What is Noorum Palum?
It is an offering of rice flour and milk made to the serpent deities, especially during the Ayilyam festivals.
Can visitors enter the sacred groves at Mannarasala?
No. The temple states that entry into the serpent groves is forbidden.
How do I reach Mannarasala temple?
The temple is about 2 km from Haripad railway station and from National Highway 66, and about 2.5 km from the Haripad KSRTC bus stand.
Sources and attribution
- Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple — The Divine History
- Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple — The Deities of Mannarasala
- Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple — Mannarasala Amma
- Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple — Festivals
- Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple — Devotee information (guidelines and how to reach)
- Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala (1000 Festivals of Kerala) — Mannarasala Ayilyam festival profile (PDF)
- Wikipedia — Mannarasala Temple
Further reading: Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple, Haripad on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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