Nagaraja Temple

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India /Tamil Nadu /Kanyakumari /Kanyakumari

Sight Address : Nagaraja Temple near Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu Edit

Detail InformationEdit

Nagaraja temple is about 19 kilometers (12 miles) away, famed for the Nagaraja Temple dedicated to serpent god, Nagaraja.Nagaraja temple was originally a Dravidian Tamil Jain temple dedicated built to pay tribute to Lord Parsvanath. Legend has it that many years later the Hindus took over and converted it into a temple to mythological god Nagaraja. Incidentally the symbol of Lord Parsvanath is snake. And the locally found Nagalinga flower is also symbolic of Lord Nagaraja. Browse the inner sanctum for its many snake sculptures. You will also find images of Jain Tirthankaras, Mahavir and Parsvanath carved on the pillars. Worth remarking is the temple entrance whose architecture is reminiscent to that of a Buddhist monastery. Once inside the inner sanctum you are bound to notice its typical features such as the roof made of coconut branches and bamboo sticks and the enclosing mud wall. Interestingly, the prasad distributed among devotees here is wet clay scooped out of the ground on which Lord Nagaraja is enshrined. Nagerkoil’s Nagaraja temple is greatly revered also because it unifies four religions – Jainism, Buddhism, Saivism and Vaishnavism.With Nagaraja as the presiding deity, the temple also has idols of Lord Shiva an Ananthakrishna – an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.Steeped in legend and mythology.

Nagaraja Temple in Kanyakumari

HistoryEdit

It is difficult to ascertain the exact age of the temple. There is no authentic epigraph to aid the historian with its chronology. The mountain Mahendragiri in the Kanyakumari district is referred to as the abode of Nagas in the Ramayana of Valmiki. From this, it can be presumed that the origin of Naga influence in the area goes back to legendary times. From the five headed-serpent deity of the temple, the name of this place (town) Nagercoil is derived; gradually its old name, Kottar, has mostly faded. The head priest, who was interviewed in 2009, truly believes that it was originally a Dravidian Tamil Jain temple taken over by Hindus and rechristened as new mythological god by name Naga Raja.A Sarpakavu in Kerala, There are similar idols in the temple.Besides Nagaraja, there are images of Jain Tirthankaras, Mahavira and Parswanatha carved on the pillars of the temple. Total six Jain idols have been found from this temple. Mahavira’s and Parsvanatha’s idols are still being kept in the temple. The entrance is reminiscent of Chinese architecture of Buddha Vihara.

Must SeeEdit

Popular

Visiting TimeEdit

5:30 A.M to 10:00 A.M and 5:00 P.M to 7:00 P.M

Closed OnEdit

N.A.

Best Season to VisitEdit

October to March

Best Time To VisitEdit

Morning & Evening

Time Required for SightseeingEdit

30 minutes To 45 minutes

Ticket Required : No Edit

Individual National Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Individual Foreigner Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Still Photo Camera Rs. : N.A.

Video Camera Rs. : N.A.

Guide Required : No Edit

Approximate cost: N.A.

Dress Code (If Any) : No Edit

Dress Require: N.A.

Restaurants NearbyAdd / Edit

N.A. ; N.A. ; Ph/M – N.A. ; Food Serve – N.A.

How to ReachEdit

Taxi : (Kanniyakumari Car Rental), taxiGUIDE.in ☎ +91 888 023 4455 (support@taxiguide.in), [1]. Inquiry: 7am to 11pm. Kanniyakumari Car Rental services on taxiGUIDE.in – a Chauffeur Driven Car Rental service in 75 Cities in India. Fares start from Rs.2000 for full day local & Rs.14.5/km for Outstation.

BUS : From Thirvananthapuram (or Kovalam Beach) or take one of the daily Kanyakumari tours organised by KTDC (Kerala Tourism Development Corporation). Frequent buses run from Thiruvananthapuram’s Thampanoor bus stand for Padmanabhampuram, on the highway to Kanyakumari. Best way is to board any bus for Nagercoil or Kanyakumari and alight at Thuckalay. You could also hire a cab from Thiruvananthapuram.

Train : Kanyakumari (CAPE), Kanyakumari Railway Station and the nearest 2 nd railway station is at Nagercoil (15km) and local station is Iraniel (6km) from the palace.Railways are considered as the most prominent means of transport to get here. Travelers can get any number of trains to reach Kanyakumari including trains to Delhi and Bangalore. The Kanyakumari express, Himsagar express, Kanyakumari Howrah express, Tirrukural express, Bangalore express and Island express and many others are some trains which operate from major cities connecting Kanyakumari.

Air : Nearest Airport is Trivandrum International Airport which is at a distance of 87 km from Kanyakumari. Trivandrum airport is well connected with many major cities in India and abroad. Direct flights from many gulf countries are available from Trivandrum. Tourist taxi charges about Rs 1,500 from Trivandrum to Kanyakumari.

Others : Most people travel around Kanniyakumari using a hired vehicle. Auto-rickshaws (tuk tuks) are available, along with buses. Buses are about Rs15 from the station to the point, and Rs 7.5 from the bus station to the point.