Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Aug 16: It is customary for families from the coastal belt of Karnataka to offer special puja to the serpent god on Nagara Panchami day. For this purpose, families come together and offer puja at the Naga Bana located at the spot where their ancestors originally lived.

In an exemplary show of religious tolerance and integration, people from different religions from a village here came together on Nagara Panchami festival and offered puja to the Nagas or serpent gods.

On this occasion, a seven member team was formed. The members belonged to three different religions. This illustrious idea was implemented by the people of Yedurupadavu within Moodushedde gram panchayat in the district.

As per government order, Nagara Panchami this time was instructed to be a relatively subdued affair as the covid19 guidelines had to be followed. Sauharda Balaga Yedurupadavu formed a team of Raveendra, Muhammed Ashraf, Laxminarayana Poojary, Jayanthi Raveendra, Praveen Kumar, Damodar and Flavy D'Souza in order to drive away the sense of religious divide among the people. The team had earlier organized programmes aimed at religious unity. The team, on Nagara Panchami day, performed Ashlesha Puja to the serpent god.

Initiatives of this kind which help in nurturing a sense of mutual love and harmony between people of different sects and religions through combined celebration of festivals deserve to be supported and appreciated.