Article Written By EIH Researcher And Writer
Aparnna R. Menon
Legends narrate a story not so unknown to Malayalis. After committing the killings of Kshatriyas, Parasurama (one of the avatars of Vishnu) reclaimed a piece of land from the sea to donate to Brahmans as a penance. This land along the coast was inhabited by Nagas which made it hard for the Brahmans to settle. The conflict was settled with the interference of the warrior sage. As a peacemaker, it was decided that the Brahmins would live in the land but would do so by worshipping the nagas who would be provided with groves to inhabit. This legend solidified in Keralolpathi of the 17th century provides a window into the traditions of the past where serpent groves were held in great reverence. Prof Raju S marks ‘the initial naga resistance against the arrival of new settlers and the reconciliation that followed as a process of conflict and reciprocal acculturation characteristic of the society.’ The tale doesn’t seek to portray polar opposites of the conqueror and the conquered but rather draws on the cohabitation of both groups which is significant.
As a protector, a giver of abundant blessings, and a punisher, the hooded serpent deities have played distinctly paramount roles since time immemorial. The image of serpents oscillated between benevolent and malevolent beings; they embodied virtue but a minor error could incur the wrath of the snake gods. Even though serpents symbolized death, they were also seen as arbiters of truth who could distinguish between right and wrong. Additionally, they were ingrained with aspects of fertility, childbirth, and potency. The worship of serpents is therefore believed to grant offspring to those who ask and also aid in the fertility of agricultural land. Nagaraja, Nagayakshi, Chithrakooda kallu, Maninagam, Anjana maninagam and at times a termite mound are some of the commonly worshipped idols in the sacred groves.
Writings of Edward Balfour, a Scottish environmentalist of the late 19th-century record how ‘leprosy, ophthalmia, and childlessness were supposed by Hindus to be the punishment of men who in former or present birth may have killed a serpent.’ Thus, killing snakes, a sinned act was believed to rebound as a curse mostly affecting progeny, and eyesight or causing skin diseases. This idea was deeply entrenched, to the extent that the ruler of Malabar decided that a person who kills these creatures would have to meet the same fate. A fear that the consequences of these sins would be transmitted across generations loomed. Thus, several rituals were prescribed to counter any curse or offence committed against these semi-gods. From the 12th century, Sarppam thullal (snake dance) is mentioned as a part of snake worship. Prof Ramachandran VS cites two types of rituals that are associated with the sarppa kavu. While the groves owned by Namboodiris practised Vedic-style rituals of mantras (invocation of gods) and tantras (symbolist signs) like vellari nivedyam and sarppabali, the traditions in groves of Nair, Ezhava, and Thandan communities involved primitively styled Noorum palum (offering of food to the deities), pulluvanpattu, kalamezhuthupattu, and pambu thullal. The pulluva community partakes in the recital of hymns to invoke the serpent gods with the use of instruments specially curated for this, the Pulluva veena, Pulluva kudam, and ilathalam. They are also sung while conducting the sarppam thullal, one of the major offerings made for worship. Several kalams for the venerated serpent deities are drawn on the floor with natural powders with a Pulluva acting as the chief priest for the event. The girls or women of the family after having maintained abstinence for days enter the ritual holding tender inflorescences of the areca palm. The music and the kalam are supposed to cause a trance as the deities possess the partakers as they dance, destructing the kalam and thus providing a successful climax to the ritual. To date rituals including sarppabali, ashta naga puja, dhara, aadiya enna, etc are practiced to ward off evil and as a solution to remove naga dosham (curse of the naga).
The presence of these venomous beings in substantial amounts also made it essential to know the cure for poisoning. Thus vishaharis (people who specialized in poison healing) practised their skill in large numbers. The constant fear of snakes made royal courts and rich men employ them to cure when the need arose. The sway of snakes has permeated into the language as one can see many Malayalam idioms entangling aspects of fertility and snakes.
The significance of groves does not end with the religious role that they play. They are also intertwined with ecological aspects as these pockets of biodiversity provided a home to diverse species. Madhav Gadgil and M D Subhash Chandran’s study note how rare and endangered flora and fauna have been found among these sacred sites. The safety of these sites was assured by the sacred aspect of religion and fear that were embedded into these concepts. However, in recent years more groves have faced destruction; a few of the serpent deities have been relocated to temples through religious means. But serpent worship continues to be etched into the belief system. Apart from the serpent groves existing alongside the main cult of the temple, temples dedicated to these deities are also prevalent in the state. Thousands flock to the Mannarashala Nagaraja temple for the practice of the uruli kamazthu, a ritual conducted in the hopes of gaining a child. The Vettikode temple is also prominent for the worship of the nagas.
Bibliography
Arafath, P.K.Y. (2016). Saints, Serpents, and Terrifying Goddesses: Fertility Culture on the Malabar Coast (c. 1500–1800). In: Winterbottom, A., Tesfaye, F. (eds) Histories of Medicine and Healing in the Indian Ocean World. Palgrave Series in Indian Ocean World Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137567574_4
V.S., Ramachandran. (2008). Socio-cultural perspective to the sacred groves and serpentine worship in Palakkad district, Kerala. Indian journal of traditional knowledge. 7. 455-462.
Das, Dinu & Balasubramanian, Arumugam. (2017). The Practice of Traditional Rituals in Naga Aradhana (Snake worship): A Case study on Aadimoolam Vetticode Sree Nagarajaswami Temple in Kerala, India. SHS Web of Conferences. 33. 00025. 10.1051/shsconf/20173300025.
Raju, S. (1991). Narratives, Signs and Social Order: Nagam and the People of Keralam. Studies in History, 7(1), 37–64.
Image
Rajesh Kakkanatt, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
