Nagercoil, the name of which is derived from the five headed serpent shrine of Nagaraja, is situated in the heart of Kanyakumari district.The beautiful main gateway of the temple known as Mahamerumaligai reminds us of the Buddhist monastery.Thus the temple stands as an embodiment of the four creeds of Indian religion Saivism, Vaishnavism, Jainism and finally Buddhism.
The out standing feature of the temple is that the sanctum Sanctorum is surrounded by walls of mud and has over it a simple roof thatched with coconut leaves and bamboo sticks.Even though there are plenty of cobras inside the temple no fatal case of snake bite has ever occured anywhere around the area.