Nag Panchami – A Dedication To Serpents

Nag Panchami which is also known as Snake festival and is commonly celebrated in various parts of West Bengal, Maharashtra. This is a festival that is illustrious on the 5th day of moonlit-fortnight of the Shravan month that is comes in July or August. During this period serpent comes out of ones holes which get inundated with rains, so they go to seek protection in gardens and houses of people, by this they are dangerous to man. So I guess snakes are worshipped on this day of Nag Panchami.

From the start of the mankind you can notice that snake and sun are included in the prayers and worship rituals in many of the countries. The tradition of Nag Panchami in India is vogue since the Vedic times. On this particular day girls and married womens get up early in the morning take bath, make arrangements for puja and move towards the nearest worship place for Nag Panchami, here they offer milk to the Snake God and pray for the goodness and health of the family and brothers, this day has the importance like Raksha Bandhan for South Indian’s.

Even snakes have their mention in the puranas they are like Anant, Kanwal,, Shesh, Padma,

Karkotak, Vasuki, Aswatar, Kalia, Pingal, Takshak, Dhritarashtra and Sankhpal. According to Buddhism and Jainism, snakes too posses divine qualities, and from the myth it is also known that cobra snake was a savier to Buddha and another protected the Jain Muni Parshwanath. You can also see the carvings of snakes in most of the Hindu temples, leave of temple you can see the snake around the idol of Lord Shiva, as he loved snakes so he used to wear it in his neck. At Ajanta descriptions of the rites of snake reverence are found. Kautilya, in his “Arthashastra” has known meticulous portrayal of the cobra snakes.

I am very sure that you all must be knowing about the legend of Lord Krishna when he was a kid and was playing ball game the ball fell into river Yamuna and then Krishna had to go inside the get ball and how he vanquished Kaliya Serpent. To seek protection from snake bites, they are inundated with milk, haldi-kumkum is speckled on their foreheads and rice and milk are offered as offerings known as “naivedya”. The Brahmin who is known to do the pious ceremony is given “dakshina” in silver or gold coins many-a-times, even a cow is offered as gift.