Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Aug 19: Nagara Panchami, the Hindu festival aimed at paying obeisance to the serpent god and celebrating nature, is being celebrated all over India on Wednesday August 19. However, some communities like Gowd Saraswat Brahmins will be celebrating this festival on Thursday, because of overlapping of Panchami period beyond sunrise tomorrow.
Because of Nagabanas, which provide conducive environment for serpents, nature is preserved, as we can see lush green thickets around these Nagabanas in almost all villages.
People take head bath early in the day, pool together various items needed to anoint the serpent god, and head to their Moola Nagabana (shelters with stone images of serpent god consecrated under trees) or temples dedicated to the serpent god. Normally, people bathe these images with milk, tender coconut water, honey, sugar, clarified butter (ghee) and curds. The liquid dripping out of the images thereafter are collected and consumed as 'Panchamrita'. Procedures like Naga Tambila, Naga Panchamrita, and such other pujas are offered towards appeasing the serpent god.
People from coastal Karnataka strongly believe that serpents are divine beings, and as such, offering prayers and pujas to them augurs well for them and their progeny, besides helping them to get rid of the Naga Doshas (curses or evil affects of wrongdoings towards serpents) that they would have committed in the past, knowingly or unknowingly.
As per mythology, the districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada and Kasargod were created by Lord Parashurama by reclaiming land from the sea, which is a natural habitat for snakes. Therefore, people feel it is their duty to worship serpents, which were the original occupants of this space before humans took over.
In some parts of India, this day is celebrated in commemoration of Lord Krishna's victory over Kalia, a great serpent living in River Yamuna. Kalia's arrogance was crushed by Lord Krishna, when he was a child.
Lord Subrahmanya temple in Subrahmanya, Sullia taluk, Kalavara near Kundapur, Manjeshwar in Kasargod district, and Kudupu near here are some of the more famous temples dedicated to the serpent god. People from coastal Karnataka normally do not deep-fry anything at home, as they feel these activities irritate serpents which come out of their holes as water fills their holes during the rainy season. They also stay away from consuming onions and garlic on this day, as they believe that the serpent god prefers purity and devotion.