Umadevi Amma dead - Mannarasala Amma of ancient snake temple dies aged 93

THE chief priestess of an ancient snake temple in India has died at the age of 93.

Umadevi Antharjanam had served at the famous Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple since the 1990s.

She died at her home on Wednesday morning, her family said.

Umadevi was the most senior of the few priestesses in the southern state of Kerala who performed rituals in Hindu shrines.

👉 For more insights, check out this resource.

The female priestess is known as Mannarasala Amma or Valiya Amma among devotees.

She took over as Mannarasala Amma at Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple when Savithri Antharjanam died in 1993 after eight decades of service.

👉 Discover more in this in-depth guide.

Devotees used to wait patiently for hours to see Antharjanam and to seek her blessings and advice.

Umadevi then continued the ancient tradition of women leading the rituals at Mannarasala temple since then.

The temple is one of the rare holy sites where the rituals are led by women - and it's internationally known as the centre of pilgrimage for the devotees of serpent gods.

Mannarasala is steeped in history and legends - and one of the major temples dedicated to the worship of Nagaraja.

Nestled in a forest glade, it has more than 100,000 images of snakes along the paths and among the trees, and is the largest such temple in Kerala.