The Nagaraja temple at Mannarasala near Haripad in Kerala is unique in more ways than one and the most significant feature is the chief custodian of this temple is a woman. A priestess as chief custodian of a Hindu temple is a very rare phenomenon among the countless Hindu temples scattered across the length and breadth of the Indian subcontinent.

According to legend, the temple was established by Sage Parashuram and the deity is Nagaraja, the King of serpents embodying simultaneously two major serpent deities of the Hindu pantheon, Ananta and Vasuki. While Ananta is the great hooded serpent who supports and guards the supine body of Vishnu while he dreams the universe into existence, Vasuki the serpent king served as the churning rope during the churning of the oceans to bring forth the elixir of life-Amrita, and is found in the company of Lord Shiva, wrapped around his neck as a necklace. Interestingly, Vasuki is also known in Chinese and Japanese mythology as one of the “Eight Great Dragon Kings”.