The strange Snake

Once upon a time, long long ago there was a tharavad(ancestral home) which had a temple beside it. The temple had grown old, so old that it was in rubbles. As the temple went into ruins so did the family members cascade into misfortune and bad luck. After many years, there came a man in the family who was so fed up with life and its miseries that he decided that he would co-ordinate with the pujaris(priests) and get the temple reconstructed.

The deities of their various gods were installed in its right place. The man was happy that the temple was now in a good state and to celebrate this he kept a grand pooja( offering, worship) with the help of the other family members.

The celebrations were to go on for four days, each day dedicated to a deity. The day came when it was dedicated to the Nagas( Snake gods). The rituals consisted of a huge rangoli being drawn.Huge colourful image of snakes was drawn, two kanyakas( virgins) were supposed to be seated in front of the kalam(rangoli). The legend says that the women whom the snake god chooses will be possessed by it when the song of the snakes starts. The condition however was that the kanyakas of the family had to be possessed.

The music slowly started playing, the family's kanyakas started dancing and wiping away the kalam. Just as the people were immersed in their worship, chanting and shouting the lord's name, somewhere from behind there was a hiss..

An uninvited stranger.