Tam: நாகர்கோவில் nākarkōvil
‘Naga Temple’ City, Tamil Nadu
From Skt/Tam: naga/nākam, ‘snake’, ‘cobra’; and Tam: kōvil/kō(y)il.
Nagaraja Temple (dedicated to Nagaraja, ‘king of the serpents’) is in the centre of town, replete with snake sculptures including the ashta (‘eight’) nagas: Shesha, Vasuki, Takshaka, Karkotaka, Shankhapala, Gulika, Padma and Mahapadma.
The snake connexion may be related to the Nagas (see Nagapattinam).
Nagercoil has been a spice centre since the 14thC with trading networks across the Arabian Sea: Nagercoil cloves are famous for their quality and aroma, the region has nearly 900 hectares under cultivation , producing 800+ tonnes annually.
For related place names see Indian Place names and Tamil Nadu place names.
Nagaraja temple (Nagercoil) A.S. Thanumaleayan
