Pari's Blog

What’s unique about this rural temple, Nagatheertham (located on outskirts of Madurai, in Nagamalai area), is that it has water flowing down from the top of a rocky hill range (Nagamalai), 24×7 throughout the year, even during the driest of summers. The spout is the size of a water hose and comes out with a pretty good force. The water is refreshingly cool, clear, and drinkable (after all it’s fresh ground-water –  directly from the source, deep underground under the hill), especially against the generally hot climate.

It’s a simple temple, consisting of just the silai (சிலை, murthi/idol) of the God built around the natural water spout, with water appearing to come from below the feet of the silai. There are a few other silai’s like the above siva lingam (which is also different – in that it has two snakes on the side, forming a heart-shaped hood over the lingam). Unfortunately the photo of the main silai with the water spout didn’t come out well.

Next to the temple, is a huge snake pit, that gets covered with thousands of eggs by those propitiating the nagas, during powarnami (full-moon days). Just wish that one day people will have enough sense to realize they’d probably get more good karma by donating a thousand eggs to feed the hungry, like in orphanages or homeless shelters (or at least donate it to the temple, and have the temple give it to the needy). For that matter the tons of milk, ghee, buttermilk that is expended in archana’s every year in temples.

Nagas (serpent beings; “serpent” reflecting their supernatural powers rather than their body) are considered to be a race of beings that preceded humankind, and still exist, but are now in a different realm. In many Hindu faiths, all beings (animals, plants, even sun, moon, etc) are said to have a conscious element, and serve as a connection to the spirit world (or if you don’t wish to anthropomorphize it, different stratas of consciousness or energies), and hence they are all revered and sometimes propitiated for relief of various ailments.

These beings, who at least in theory, in their own desire to seek God, unconditionally help beings who propitiate them. For those who are not used to the concept of multivalency, one can just consider them as appendages of God; i.e. God made more accessible to people, via only certain aspects.

In fact, from the worship of the ganas (the bunch of spirits/attendants of Shiva; in Tamil Saiva traditions known as siva-ganarghal, சிவகணர்கள்), in particular the leader of the ganas, Ganapathy, arose the cult of gana or Ganapathy worshippers, which is now a deity that is part of most popular Hindu faiths.

Nagas in particular are known to help people who have difficulty bearing children (also known as naga-dosham). To what extent this is true, I really don’t know. To blindly dismiss it would be equally unscientific. What matters is that in the end, all these currents keep us from straying too far from being in touch with the deeper Reality that underlies the fabric of the universe and life itself.