Nag Panchami नाग पंचमी

Nag Panchami honours the serpent, which Indian tradition has long treated as both dangerous and sacred. It falls on the fifth day of the bright half of Shravana in most calendars, during the monsoon months when snakes emerge from flooded burrows and the risk of bites rises for farmers. The reverence is practical as well as devotional, since snakes control rodents that threaten stored grain.

Epic and Puranic stories give the day depth. The Mahabharata recounts the snake sacrifice of King Janamejaya, who set out to destroy all serpents to avenge his father Parikshit, and the sage Astika stopped it, a rescue often remembered on this day. Vishnu rests on Shesha, Shiva wears Vasuki around his neck, and Krishna's subduing of the serpent Kaliya in the Yamuna is another much-told story. In South India worship goes to anthills and snake stones under trees, and in Maharashtra women worship a clay snake and avoid digging the ground that day. Kaal Sarp dosha is often given as a reason for the rites, but this is an astrological idea of later origin, so devotees who are unsure should consult their own family tradition.

Milk is poured over the image or the anthill as a devotional offering, though herpetologists point out that snakes cannot digest milk and that live snakes should not be handled or fed. A clay or silver image, flowers, turmeric and rice make an adequate offering. Kerala has its own Nagaraja temple at Mannarasala, where snake worship is a long family tradition.