Sanjai Velayudhan's Blog - Posts Tagged "religion"
Serpent Worship
Serpents have a unique place in the world. We humans have feared them and possibly this horror has turned into respect and devotion. Isn't that why many people deify and worship them? In a way this has been the reason for their survival and destruction at the same time.
In Kerala, for ages, serpent-worship has been conducted in secluded sacred groves called 'Kaavu'. These small groves are generally unmolested by people due to fear! Many myths have been associated with serpent-spirits.
Maybe due to their resemblance to the human (read male) reproductive organ, serpents or snakes have been attributed powers of fertility.
We worship the same creatures that instill great fear in us. Is fear in general or fear of death in particular the fundamental underpinning of religion? I wonder.
In Kerala, for ages, serpent-worship has been conducted in secluded sacred groves called 'Kaavu'. These small groves are generally unmolested by people due to fear! Many myths have been associated with serpent-spirits.
Maybe due to their resemblance to the human (read male) reproductive organ, serpents or snakes have been attributed powers of fertility.
We worship the same creatures that instill great fear in us. Is fear in general or fear of death in particular the fundamental underpinning of religion? I wonder.
