Naag Panchami

Naag Panchami

July-August; waxing half of Hindu month of Sravana

A Hindu festival celebrated throughout India and Nepal, dedicated to the sacred serpent, Ananta, on whose coils Vishnu rested while he was creating the universe. According to Hindu belief, snakes can bring wealth and rain, and unhappy ones can cause a home to collapse. Therefore milk and flowers are offered to snakes, especially cobras; snake deities; or painted snake images at shrines. Because snakes are also worn by Shiva, hundreds of snakes are released at the Shiva temples in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, where Shiva lived after destroying a demon, and in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, considered the religious capital of the Hindu faith. In Jodhpur, Rajasthan, huge cloth naags, or cobras, are displayed.

CONTACTS:
India Tourist Office
1270 Avenue of the Americas, Ste. 1808
New York, NY 10020
800-953-9399 or 212-586-4901; fax: 212-582-3274
www.indiatouristoffice.org
Nepal Embassy
2131 Leroy Pl. N.W.
Washington, DC 20008
202-667-4550; fax: 202-667-5534
www.nepalembassyusa.org

SOURCES:
BkFest-1937, p. 159
BkHolWrld-1986, Aug 8
CelebFestIndia-1994, p. 64
DictFolkMyth-1984, pp. 671, 921
DictWrldRel-1989, p. 431
FolkWrldHol-1999, p. 471
RelHolCal-2004, p. 171