Kundah Manjakombai Nagaraja Temple Nilgiris

The Nagaraja Temple is located in Manjakombai Village, Kundah Taluk, near the popular hill station of Ooty in the Nilgiris District, Tamil Nadu.
A live snake is believed to reside within the sanctum sanctorum of Sri Nagaraja.

Presiding Deities of this temple are Lord Nagaraja and Goddess Heddhai Amman. A separate shrine dedicated to Goddess Santhanalakshmi is also found in this temple. The feet symbol of Lord Rama is revered highly by the devotees. Banyan tree is the holy tree of this temple while Santhana Kulam is its holy spring.

The people of Manjakombai began digging the ground for collecting sand in order to build a temple in the place. On digging for a few meters, they heard a sound and is said to have found a Nagaraja idol and a couple of caves beneath the ground. A rock is believed to have obstructed the construction work on further digging, which upon removal had revealed the presence of a live snake. A temple for the Goddess and Nagaraja were later raised in the same place. It is that snake which is still believed to be alive.

There is yet another specialty attached to this temple. A live snake is believed to reside within the sanctum sanctorum of Sri Nagaraja. It is also believed that this snake had created an underground pathway or tunnel between the Nagaraja temple to the Heddhai Amman Temple in order commute between the two shrines.

According to hearsay, while Lord Rama was passing through this temple, he has left his print of his feet on a rock here during his 14 years Vanavasa – forest life. There is also a feet symbol on a rock confirming this faith. A large number of Rama devotees visit this temple. The high monkey population in the locality support the Ramayana theory.

People affected by Naga Doshas (adverse astrological aspects related to snakes) offer milk to the anthill, which is considered sacred. This ritual, performed on all new moon days (Amavasya), is believed to relieve individuals of Naga Doshas.