Nagaraja
Encyclopedia
Nagaraja is a Sanskrit
word from naga (snake
) and raj
(king) meaning King of Snakes. It is applied to three main deities, Anantha (Sheshanaag
), Takshak
, and Vasuki
. Anantha, Vasuki and Takshak are brothers, children of Kashyap
and Kadru
, who are the parents of all snakes. Anantha, the eldest brother, was a devotee of Vishnu
, and represents the friendly aspect of snakes, as they save food from rodents. Lord Vishnu
is always on continuous meditation (Yoganidra) with Anantha forming a bed for him, and this posture is called AnanthaSayana. Vasuki
, the younger one was a devotee of Lord Shiva
. Lord Shiva
always wears Vasuki
around his neck. Takshak represents the dangerous aspect of snakes, as they are feared by all due to their venom.
At Nagercoil
in Kanniyakumari
district of Tamil Nadu
, a temple dedicated to Nagaraja exists.
There is another famous temple named Mannarasala
in Alleppey district of Kerala
. The deity in this temple embodies both Anantha and Vasuki
into one.
A temple devoted to Nagaraja exists in Poojappura of Thiruvananthapuram District in Kerala, India. It is known as Poojappura nagarukavu Temple. The uniqueness of this temple is that here the family of the Nagaraja including Nagaramma, Queen of Naga and Nagakanya, Princess of the Naga kingdom is placed inside a single temple.
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
word from naga (snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
) and raj
Raj
Raj and Rajya mean "royalty" or "kingdom" in many Sanskrit and Hindu languages, and may refer to:- Indian history :*British Raj, the British Empire in India...
(king) meaning King of Snakes. It is applied to three main deities, Anantha (Sheshanaag
Shesha
In Hindu tradition, Shesha or Sheshanaag is the king of all nagas, one of the primal beings of creation, and according to the Bhagavata Purana, an Avatar of the Supreme God known as Sankarshan. In the Puranas, Shesha is said to hold all the planets of the Universe on his hoods and to constantly...
), Takshak
Takshak
Thakshak or Taxak, classically called the Taxilleans , is a gotra or clan of Jats and Rajputs found in India, Pakistan. This clan has descended from Nagavansh king named Takshaka.- The Shavi dynasty :...
, and Vasuki
Vasuki
Vasuki is a Sanskrit name for a naga, one of the serpents of Buddhist and Hindu mythology. He is a great King of the nagas and has a gem on his head. Manasa, another naga, is his sister...
. Anantha, Vasuki and Takshak are brothers, children of Kashyap
Kashyap
Kashyapa was an ancient sage , who is one of the Saptarshis in the present Manvantara; with others being Atri, Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni, Bharadwaja...
and Kadru
Kadru
In the mythology of India, Kadru , is usually the daughter of Daksha, wife of Kashyapa, and the mother of the Nagas. This is according to the Mahabharata ....
, who are the parents of all snakes. Anantha, the eldest brother, was a devotee of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
, and represents the friendly aspect of snakes, as they save food from rodents. Lord Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
is always on continuous meditation (Yoganidra) with Anantha forming a bed for him, and this posture is called AnanthaSayana. Vasuki
Vasuki
Vasuki is a Sanskrit name for a naga, one of the serpents of Buddhist and Hindu mythology. He is a great King of the nagas and has a gem on his head. Manasa, another naga, is his sister...
, the younger one was a devotee of Lord Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
. Lord Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
always wears Vasuki
Vasuki
Vasuki is a Sanskrit name for a naga, one of the serpents of Buddhist and Hindu mythology. He is a great King of the nagas and has a gem on his head. Manasa, another naga, is his sister...
around his neck. Takshak represents the dangerous aspect of snakes, as they are feared by all due to their venom.
At Nagercoil
Nagercoil
Nagercoil is the 12th largest city in the southernmost Indian state of Tamil Nadu and a municipality and administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District...
in Kanniyakumari
Kanyakumari District
Kanyakumari District ) is a district of Tamil Nadu state, India and is the southernmost land area of mainland India.The district is the second most urbanised district in Tamilnadu, next only to Chennai and ahead of Coimbatore. It also has the highest literacy and education levels in the...
district of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, a temple dedicated to Nagaraja exists.
There is another famous temple named Mannarasala
Mannarasala Temple
Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple is a very ancient and internationally-known centre of pilgrimage for the devotees of serpent gods .The famous Nagaraja temple "Mannarasala" is nestled in a forest glade, like most snake temples. The Mannarasala Temple has over 30,000 images of snakes along the...
in Alleppey district of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. The deity in this temple embodies both Anantha and Vasuki
Vasuki
Vasuki is a Sanskrit name for a naga, one of the serpents of Buddhist and Hindu mythology. He is a great King of the nagas and has a gem on his head. Manasa, another naga, is his sister...
into one.
A temple devoted to Nagaraja exists in Poojappura of Thiruvananthapuram District in Kerala, India. It is known as Poojappura nagarukavu Temple. The uniqueness of this temple is that here the family of the Nagaraja including Nagaramma, Queen of Naga and Nagakanya, Princess of the Naga kingdom is placed inside a single temple.