Coastal areas celebrate Nag Panchami today

Coastal areas celebrate Nag Panchami today

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Aug 4, 2011: Nag Panchami, one of the most significant of Indian Hindu festivals, is celebrated on the fifth day of the moonlit fortnight of the month of Shravan, which appears in July – August. The serpents are expected to emerge from their holes during this season, and devotees worship them with milk, tender coconut, turmeric, flowers, and honey. The devotees believe that hot, oily, and spicy dishes do not please the serpent gods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Naga temples literally flood with devotees offering worship before the stone images of the Nag Devtha. The serpent god is worshipped with ghee, milk, sugar, honey, and tender coconut, after which these offerings are consumed as prasada.

A number of prominent Nagas such as Vasuki, Anantha, Shesh, Kanwal, Padma, Kalia, Aswatar, Karkotak, Takshak, Dhritarashtra, Sankhpal, and Pingala are mentioned in the purananas. Historians have opined that these characters are not really serpents, but kings of great power.

The practice of worshipping snakes is age old, dating back to the beginning of mankind when people used to worship elements of nature. In India, snakes were worshipped even before the Vedic times.

Devotees believe that the Nag Devtha should be worshipped in the traditional place of worship, where the family used to worship from times immemorial—a belief that gives people of the same lineage an opportunity to meet annually, interact, and keep in touch.

Places such as Subrahmanya in Sullia, Kudupi in Mangalore, Kalavar in Kundapur, and Manjeshwar in Kasargod attract a large number of devotees on Nag Panchami.

The people of Manjeshwar, Udhyavara, Hosangadi, and Kumble celebrated Nag Panchami with traditional fervor, with hundreds of devotees flocking to the famous Anantheshwara Temple.

Devotees waited in long queues for their turn to worship the serpent god since early morning. Priests performed special pujas such as Sarpa Sankula, Sarpa Sankashtanashana, Ashelesha Bali, and others for the devotees. The highlights of the celebrations were anna prasada and special floral decorations.

In the coastal region, serpents are highly revered and almost every temple has a Naga Gudi devoted to snake worship, where special rituals and pujas are offered on Nag Panchami.