A man resting on a platform under a banyan tree—an “aalthara” in Malayalam—near the Srikurumba Bhagavathy temple in Kodungallur, Kerala, received quite a shock on July 7. As he lay down for a brief afternoon nap, he had an unexpected guest: a snake!
The viral video of this incident, shared by @asianetnews on Instagram, shows the man using his bag as a pillow. Little did he know, a snake decided to slither right under him. The snake, a non-venomous Indian rat snake, found its way between the man’s bag and his body, causing a moment of silent panic.
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A bystander, instead of alerting the man, decided to capture the event on video. This decision drew mixed reactions online. The video shows the snake calmly slithering away around the temple premises, leaving the man blissfully unaware of his close encounter.
The video quickly went viral, drawing a variety of comments. One user humorously remarked, “Chera sir is a gentleman,” referring to the man’s calm demeanor. Another user praised the cameraman’s dedication, writing, “Big salute to the cameraman for not waking up that poor guy.” A third commenter joked, “Should have bitten and stood up, the video would have gotten a good reach.”