Mangalore celebrates Nag Panchami

Mangalore celebrates Nag Panchami

Mangalore Today News Network

By: Shreelatha Nayak

Mangalore Aug 14: Nag Panchami, which is one of the significant festivals celebrated throughout the country, is on the fifth day of the moonlit fortnight of the month of Shravan (July/August). During this season, the serpents emerge from their holes and devotees worship them with milk, turmeric, tender coconut, honey, and flowers.

Large numbers of devotees visit Naga temples and offer worship before the stone images of the Nag Devtha by bathing these images with honey, sugar, milk, ghee, and tender coconut water (Panchamrita), after which they consume part of these offerings as prasada or blessings from the Nag Devtha.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The puranas mention several prominent Nagas such as Anantha, Vasuki, Shesh, Padma, Kanwal, Kalia, Karkotak, Aswatar, Takshak, Sankhpal, Dhritarashtra, and Pingala. Some historians are of the opinion that these are not really snakes, but Naga kings of great power. Devotees believe that the Nagas will not remain peaceful if they consume hot, oily, and spicy dishes.

Worship of serpents dates back to the beginning of humankind when people used to worship the Sun and snakes in almost all the countries. In India, snakes were worshipped even before the Vedic times.

Devotees believe that the Naga should be worshipped especially at the Moolangana or the traditional place of worship, where their ancestors used to worship the Naga. This makes a nice opportunity for people belonging to the same lineage to meet at the Moolangana annually to worship and also to keep in touch with family members.

Subramanya in Sullia, Kudupu near Mangalore, Kalavar near Kundapur, and Manjeshwar in Kasargod are famous abodes of the Naga, attracting devotees in large numbers on Nag Panchami. Devotees seek the protection of the Nag Devtha by offering him Panchamrutha, a mixture of sugar, milk, honey, curds, and tender coconut water and then reverently consume the same, believing it to be his blessings.

 

Devotees at Manjeshwara celebrated Nagara Panchami with traditional fervour

Pics by Manju Neereshwallya

Manjeshwara, Kasargod District: People of Manjeshwara, Hosangadi, Udhyavara and Kumble in Kasargod district have also celebrated “Nagarapanchami” on Saturday with traditional fervour. Hundreds of people thronged the famous Anantheshwara temple, Manjeshwara here in the Kasargod district. The temple is known for Naga worship.
 

 

Long queue of devotees was seen at the temple to offer prayer to the serpent god since early morning. Many devotees offered fresh milk, Pingara, tender coconuts to sitting deities at the temples.

The priests, who sat on the Nagana Katte, have performed some special poojas like Sarpa Sankula, Ashelesha Bali, Sarpa Sankashtanashana on behalf of the devotees. Special floral alankaras and anna prasada were the highlights of the Nagarapanchami.

Serpents have a special significance in the coastal region and almost all temples have “Nagara gudis” dedicated to the god, where they conduct special rituals and offer prayers on the auspicious day of Nagarapanchami.

 

The Legend:
In ancient India, there lived a clan by the name of "NAGAS" whose culture was highly developed. The Indus Valley civilisation of 3000 B.C. gives ample proof of the popularity of snake-worship amongst the Nagas, whose culture was fairly wide-spread in India even before the Aryans came. After the Naga culture got incorporated into Hinduism, the Indo-Aryans themselves accepted many of the snake deities of the Nagas in their pantheon and some of them even enjoyed a pride of place in the Puranic Hinduism. The prominent Cobra snakes mentioned in the Puranas are Anant, Vasuki, Shesh, Padma, Kanwal, Karkotak, Kalia, Aswatar, Takshak, Sankhpal, Dhritarashtra and Pingal. Some historians state that these were not snakes but Naga Kings of various regions with immerse power.

The thousand-headed Shesh Nag who symbolises Eternity is the couch of Lord Vishnu. It is on this couch that the Lord reclines between the time of the dissolution of one Universe and creation of another. Hindus believe in the immortality of the snake because of its habit of sloughing its skin. As such Eternity in Hinduism is often represented by a serpent eating its own tail. In Jainism and Buddhism snake is regarded as sacred having divine qualities. It is believed that a Cobra snake saved the life of Buddha and another protected the Jain Muni Parshwanath. To-day as an evidence of this belief, we find a huge serpent carved above the head of the statue of Muni Parshwanath. In medieval India figures of snakes were carved or painted on the walls of many Hindu temples. In the carves at Ajanta images of the rituals of snake worship are found. Kautilya, in his "Arthashastra" has given detailed description of the cobra snakes. Fascinating, frightening, sleek and virtually death-less, the cobra snake has always held a peculiar charm of its own since the time when man and snake confronted each other. As the cobra unfolded its qualities, extra-ordinary legends grew around it enveloping it in the garble of divinity. Most of these legends are in relation with Lord Vishnu, Shiv and Subramanyam.

The most popular legend is about Lord Krishna when he was just a young boy. When playing the game of throwing the ball with his cowherd friends, the legend goes to tell how the ball fell into Yamuna River and how Krishna vanquished Kalia Serpent and saved the people from drinking the poisonous water by forcing Kalia to go away. It is an age-old religious belief that serpents are loved and blessed by Lord Shiv. May be therefore, he always wears them as ornamentation around his neck. Most of the festivals that fall in the month of Shravan are celebrated in honour of Lord Shiv, whose blessings are sought by devotees, and along with the Lord, snakes are also worshiped. Particularly on the Nag-Panchami day live cobras or their pictures are revered and religious rights are performed to seek their good will. To seek immunity from snake bites, they are bathed with milk, haldi-kumkum is sprinkled on their heads and milk and rice are offered as "naivedya". The Brahmin who is called to do the religious ritual is given "dakshina" in silver or gold coins some times, even a cow is given away as gift. During this time, snakes often seek refuge in houses as their holes in the ground become flooded with rainwater. Due to the danger they pose to humans, snakes are worshiped during this period to protect villagers from harm. Nag Panchami is celebrated throughout India; however, more festivities are seen in the south than in the north. The village of Baltis Shirale, which is situated approximately 400 kilometers (approximately 250 miles) from Mumbai, conducts the most outstanding of all the celebrations. Reportedly, the largest collection of snakes in the world can be found in Baltis Shirale. Visitors from all over the world gather in the village to worship live snakes. Interestingly, despite no venom being removed from the snakes, no one has ever been bitten. Other popular areas of worship during the Nag Panchami include: Adiesha Temple in Andhra Pradesh,  Nagaraja Temple in Kerala,  Nagathamman Temple in Chennai, Hardevja Temple in Jaipur. In Bengal and parts of Assam and Orissa the blessings of Mansa, the queen of serpents are sought by offering her all the religious adoration. Protection from the harmful influence of snakes is sought through the worship of Mansa who rules supreme over the entire clan of serpents. On this occasion snake-charmers are also requisitioned to invoke the Snake Queen by playing lilting and melodious tunes on their flutes.