Pics: Mohan Kuthar

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Aug 5: Nagara Panchami is being observed today. On Nagara Panchami day, people make a beeline to the holy places where stone forms of the serpent gods are installed and worshipped since the times of their ancestors, and offer tender coconut water, ghee, sugar, milk, yogurt and honey to the serpent gods. Flowers, particularly areca inflorescence are offered in coastal Karnataka and Kasargod areas. In some north Indian areas, the practice of offering puja to live serpents is in vogue.

It is believed that the coastal belt of Karnataka was formed out of land reclaimed by Lord Parashurama from the Arabian Sea. Therefore, as the land which belonged to serpents was reclaimed by humans, it is said, the practice of performing puja to them became a part of life of the people here. Prominent temples dedicated too] the serpent god are located at Subramanya, Kudupu Mangaluru, and Lord Madanantheshwara temple at Manjeshwar.

As per mythology, emperor Janamejaya, great grandson of Arjuna, with the help of religious scholars, had started a fire sacrifice in which serpents were compelled to fall into the fire places and lost their lives. Janamejaya was angry at the serpents because his father was killed on account of serpent bite. The sacrifice of serpents was stopped at the instance of sage Asteeka. The day on which the sacrifice was stopped by sage Asteeka is being celebrated as Nagara Panchami.

The belief that serpent gods have the power to grant offsprings to those who appease them, and also that performing puja in their honour can rid of ill-effects of Naga Doshas are deep-rooted in the lives of people living in coastal Karnataka. Because of these pujas, nature has been preserved in the form of Nagabanas as cutting down of trees or undertaking development activities in them is thought to be inauspicious for the families concerned.