Nagaraja Temple, Nagercoil
Padmanabham (1985), Heritage Of The Tamils Temple Arts, Editors: SV Subramanian and G Rajendran, International Institute of Tamil Studies, Since the 17th-century, new Hindu shrines have been added to the temple complex attracting devotees of Krishna (Vishnu), as well as Shaiva and Shakti Hindus.[1] The original iconography of the Tirthankaras and Padmavati Devi have and continue to remain a part of the sacred pantheon close to the temple's main sanctum.[3] The mandapa includes six icons of Tirthankaras and a goddess such as Parsvanatha and Padmavati Devi with rare, non-standard emblems (all lions).There are images of Mahavira and Parsvanatha on the pillars of the mandapam; a lithic record of 1521 testifies to the fact that it was used as a Jain temple at that time.This suggests that the artisans may have been Hindu, or that the iconography followed the art literature prevalent when this temple's mandapam was constructed.For example, Mahavira, Parsvanatha and Padmavati Devi are all included, with the standing figures shown sheltered with five-hooded cobra.[8] It was gradually "Hinduized or simply mistaken as a temple of Adisesha by the local Hindus" since Jaina and Hindu iconography are similar.Six of the eight inside the main shrine are dated between Ko 681 and 697 (first quarter of the 16th-century), and they all record gifts of offerings to Nagaraja and other deities in the temple through priests with Jaina-type names.However, there is no evidence to establish that the priest mentioned in Nagaraja temple inscriptions and the Jaina author were the same person.A Nambudiri Brahmin from the Paambummaekkaattu Mana near Mala, Kerala in modern day Thrissur district rediscovered a Naga idol on the way back from his visit to a Pandyan King in Tamil Nadu and re-initiated worship.Originally planning to build a temple dedicated to the so found Naga, the decision was later changed, due to a divine vision in the form of a dream, instead to install Vishnu and Shiva as main deities to the temple and left the Naga idol in its original place.[3][9] The temple has an attached water tank and open prakara (circumambulation path) along which are numerous stone motifs of Naga.[3] It is a chariot festival, where a procession leaves the temple with different statues and icons of gods and goddesses housed within the different shrines, on certain mornings or evenings or both, based on the historic tradition.On the last day, all the deities including Lord Nagaraja is taken in the festive procession to the nearby river for a holy bath in a big palanquin.
AffiliationHinduismNagercoilNagarajaTamil NaduKrishnaTirthankarasHindusMythologyOriginsHistoryIndus Valley CivilisationVedic HinduismDravidian folk religionŚramaṇaTribal religions in IndiaItihasa-PuranaEpic-Puranic royal genealogiesEpic-Puranic chronologySampradaya (Traditions)VaishnavismPancharatraShaivismKapalikaPashupataPratyabhijñaShaktismSmartismOther Sampradaya (Traditions)DeitiesAbsolute Reality / Unifying ForceBrahmanTrimurtiBrahmaVishnuTrideviSaraswatiLakshmiParvatiTridashaAdityasRudrasAshvinsMahadeviOther Vedic DeitiesAvatarDashavataraNavadurgaMahavidyaKartikeyaGaneshaHanumanShaktiDevatasVishvakarmaKuberaConceptsCosmologyTattvasSubtle elementsPanchikaranaGross elementsGuṇasPurushaPrakṛtiSupreme realityNirgunaSagunaSaccidānandaIshvaraGod in HinduismGod and genderPuruṣārtha (Meaning of life)DharmaMokshaĀśrama (Stages of life)BrahmacharyaGṛhasthaVānaprasthaSannyasaThree paths to liberationBhakti yogaJnana yogaKarma yogaLiberationParamātmanSaṃsāraĀtman (self)Anātman (non-self)Sūkṣma śarīra (subtle body)Antaḥkaraṇa (mental organs)Prajña (wisdom)Ānanda (happiness)Viveka (discernment)Vairagya (dispassion)Sama (equanimity)Uparati (self-settledness)Titiksha (forbearance)Shraddha (faith)Samadhana (concentration)Arishadvargas (six enemies)Ahamkara (attachment)NiyamaAhimsaAchouryaAparigrahaAkrodhaArjavaSantoshaSvādhyāyaShauchaMitaharaSources of dharmaEpistemologyPratyakṣa (perception)Upamāṇa (comparison, analogy)Śabda (word, testimony)WorshipĀrtīPrarthanaŚrautaTempleBhaktiBhajanaKīrtanaTarpana