Mannarasala Ayilyam is a famous festival celebrated at the Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple in Kerala, India. This festival is dedicated to the worship of Nagaraja, the serpent god, and is one of the most significant snake worship festivals in Kerala.
The most celebrated festival at Mannarassala is the Ayilyam in the Malayalam month of Thulam. It is known the world over as Mannarasala Ayilyam. How Thulam Ayilyam got prominence is an interesting story. It was a regular custom for the Maharaja of Travancore to visit this temple on Ayilyam day in Kanni. On one occasion, the Maharaja could not reach the temple as usual and had to postpone the visit to the Ayilyam day in Thulam. The royal palace met all the expenses for the celebrations of that Ayilyam. Thus, the Ayilyam of Thulam came to secure a royal splendor and henceforth became the festival of masses.
The Ayilyam days of Kanni and Kumbham are still celebrated with befitting grandeur. The Ayilyam in Kanni is the birthday of Nagaraja and that in Kumbham is the birthday of Anantha, the Muthassan of Nilavara (cellar).
One of the major highlights of the festival is the procession in which all the serpent idols in the Temple and the sacred grove are taken to the Illam (the Brahmin ancestral home) that manages the Temple. The priestess will carry the idol of Nagaraja, which is the presiding deity of the temple. Special prayers and offerings are performed at the Illam.
Women play a significant role in this festival. They bring offerings like turmeric, flowers, and rice to the temple. It is believed that women who participate in the festival will be blessed with fertility and the well-being of their families.
On this day, thousands of devotees visit the Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple. Special rituals and pujas are performed by the temple priests, which include the offering of special prayers and the pouring of milk and other offerings into the snake pits within the temple premises.
Mannarasala Ayilyam is a significant festival in Kerala’s cultural calendar, celebrating the reverence and worship of snakes, particularly Nagaraja, and is an integral part of the state’s rich heritage and traditions.