Nagaraja Temple Nagercoil - Timings, History, Dress Code, Images | Vihara Darshani

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Nagaraja Temple Nagercoil :

Nagaraja Temple is an ancient big temple in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India, near the southern tip of the state. Nagaraja Temple Nagercoil age is unknown, but it is most likely pre-12th century. The Nagaraja the serpent king is honored in the main sanctum. The Nagaraja main shrine may have been an active Jain temple with Jain priests through the 16th century CE, one that also attracted Hindus, according to iconography found in the temple, inscriptions, and literary evidence. Alternatively, it may have been a temple that mixed Hindu and Jaina iconography. New Hindu shrines have been added to the temple complex since the 17th century, attracting devotees of Krishna (Vishnu), as well as Shiva and Shakti Hinduism. The original Jaina iconography of the Tirthankaras and Padmavati Devi has remained a part of the sacred pantheon near the temple’s main sanctum and will continue to do so.

There are three shrines in the temple. The original Nagaraja is the oldest and most significant deity at the shrine. The second shrine, with Rukmini and Satyabhama, is dedicated to Ananthakrishna (baby Krishna dancing on a coiled snake). Shiva is honored in the third shrine. Six icons of Jaina Tirthankaras and a goddess, such as Parsvanatha and Padmavati Devi, with unusual, non-standard emblems, can be found in the mandapa (all lions). It also includes the likes of Subrahmanya Swami, Ganesha, and Devi Bhagavati, who are Hindu deities.

Nagaraja Temple Nagercoil History :

Previously, this area was overgrown with grasses and bushes. A woman who used to cut leaves and grasses for her cattle found blood in her knife one day. There was a five-headed Cobra lying in the area where she was cutting when she saw it. She became frightened and fled from the scene. She went to a nearby village and reported the incident to the locals. As a large crowd gathered to see the snake, the snake became a statue. The villagers then believed that the snake she had cut was Nagarajar (King of Cobras), and they began to worship him. Initially, they used coconut tree leaves to cover the statue. Many people learned about the story later, and many people with Naga Dosha began to visit this temple. Many devotees travel from South Tamil Nadu and Kerala to visit this temple. Thiruvananthapuram is a city in Kerala, India. Nagarajar was granted a proper temple by King Udaya Marthanda Varma. During the construction era, Nagarajar appeared in King’s dreams and told him that he wanted to continue the roof with Coconut tree leaves because that is how the temple began. As a result, the king built a massive temple thus leaving the karpagraha unprotected by concrete.

Nagaraja Temple Nagercoil Timings :
Morning : 5:00 A.M. to 11:30AM
Evening : 5:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.

Festivals at Nagercoil Temple :
The annual Brahmotsavam, held in the Tamil month of Tai (January–February), is the temple’s largest festival. It is celebrated for ten days, beginning on the Revathi and ending on the Ayillyam. It is a chariot festival in which a procession leaves the temple on specific mornings or evenings, or both, with various statues and icons of gods and goddesses housed inside the various shrines, according to historic tradition. Every day, excluding the eighth, when he is also carried in the chariot, Ganesha is carried out in front of every procession on his Mosshika vahnam. The deities, like Lord Nagaraja, are brought in a festive procession to a nearby river for a holy bath in a large palanquin on the last day. During the festival, a white flag is raised at the Dhvaja Stambha, which has a tortoise icon. This tortoise icon is known as Kurma in Hindu iconography and is a common symbolism in Hindu Vaishnava temples with stambha and bali pitha. In Jainism, a tortoise symbol is also used.

Nagaraja Temple Nagercoil Dress Code :

Any decent outfit is appropriate. During Darshan, men do not wear a shirt or vest.

Saree with blouse/ Punjabi Dress with Dupatta/ Chudidhar with Dupatta/ Half Saree for women

How to reach Nagercoil Temple:
Via Air : Madurai, Thiruvanathapuram, is a nearby airport.
Via Rail : The nearest railway station is Nagercoil junction. Trains are easily accessible from here.
Via Bus : Nagercoil Vadaseri and Meenakshipuram bus stand are both 1km away from the temple. Nagercoil is easily accessible from all parts of the state thanks to excellent road infrastructure.