Mannarasala Amma Umadevi Antharjanam, the chief priestess of the Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja temple near Haripad, died on Wednesday. She was 94.
Born to Subramanian Namboothiri and Rukmini Antharjanam of Chembakanelloor illam at Manganam in Kottayam, Umadevi married M.G. Narayanan Namboothiri of Mannarasala illam in 1949.
She was consecrated as the chief priestess of the temple on October 24, 1993 at the age of 64 following the death of former Amma Savitri Antharjanam. Umadevi started performing puja at the temple on March 22, 1995.
The chief priestess of the Mannarasala temple is fondly called ‘Valiya Amma’ (mother). The beliefs and rituals associated with the temple are different from most other temples. It is one of a few temples where the puja pattern is headed by a Brahmin lady. Reportedly, she was the senior-most among the few priestesses in temples in the State.
The temple website noting popular belief says that when Lord Nagaraja reincarnated and was born to the then mother of the illam, he had given certain rights and instructions to his mother. He is said to have instructed: “mother herself must offer me worship”. After the mother’s time, the senior-most Brahmin lady in the family assumes the status of the mother.
Ever since Mannarasala Amma was revered as the mother of Lord Nagaraja, devotees from different parts of the State and outside had been thronging the temple, especially on Ayilyam festival days that fall on the Ayilyam asterism in the Malayalam month of Thulam (October/November), for her blessings.
Her cremation was scheduled to be held later in the night. In a statement issued here, temple authorities said that no routine pujas would be held at the temple for three days.
Meanwhile, Savithri Antharjanam (83) was consecrated as the new chief priestess of the temple. She is the wife of M.V. Subramanian Namboothiri. She will, however, start performing pujas only after a year.
