MANNARASALA, India (CNN) -- Thousands of devotees recently celebrated Mannarasala Day in a famous snake temple in the southern Indian state of Kerala. They came seeking blessings from Nagaraja, the serpent god, and offered him prayers to prevent evil from befalling their families.

Holding incense sticks, money and turmeric, devotees bowed and prayed to the snake deity carved out in a temple wall. Nearby priests handed out turmeric powder, which is smeared on statues of deities and foreheads of the faithful.

"I come here specially for this day. Usually childless couples come here, and their wishes are often fulfilled. People have real faith in it", said Sarasamma, a regular visitor to the temple.

They perform a ceremony called "Uruli Kamathu," which means an overturned vessel.

"Childless couples take the brass vessel to beg for a child, as it were. After their wishes are fulfilled they keep the vessel in an upside-down position as a sign of wish fulfillment and an acknowledgment of their gratitude," said Naranyanan Namboodiri, manager of the temple.

Traditional belief in Kerala holds that killing snakes, even unintentionally, brings the wrath of snake gods; the "guilty" bear the curse of childlessness and other calamities. To make up for these "sins," people pray to the serpent gods and make offerings. Some pray for the general well-being of their families.

Many families in Kerala have some form of snake temples in their houses, which they worship in order to keep the serpent god happy. Each home has a "sarpakavu" or a snake house with a "nagakal" or snake stone.

Reuters contributed to this report.