Nag Panchami honours the serpent deities, the nagas, who are woven through Hindu story and village life. It falls in the rainy season, when snakes come out of their flooded burrows and farmers meet them in the fields, and in much of India the day is kept as a way of asking for peace between people and snakes. Images of nagas drawn on the wall or made of clay, silver or stone are worshipped, and living snakes are not to be harmed.
Month and tithi
The festival is the Shukla Panchami of Shravana. The tithi is the fifth, described on the Panchami page. Some communities, notably in Gujarat and parts of Rajasthan, keep a Nag Panchami on the matching fifth day of the dark fortnight, about fifteen days later, because their month ends at the full Moon. The two are the same festival, kept in two calendars.
The stories
The tradition links the day to several accounts. In the Mahabharata, King Janamejaya began a great sacrifice to destroy all serpents after his father Parikshit died of a snakebite. The sage Astika stopped it and saved the nagas, and the Panchami is remembered as the day the sacrifice ended. The Bhagavata Purana tells how the young Krishna subdued the serpent Kaliya in the Yamuna river and sent him away without killing him. Shesha, the serpent on whom Vishnu rests, and Vasuki, who wound around Shiva’s neck, are also honoured. These are traditional stories, and the details differ between regions.
How the day is kept
In the morning the household bathes and makes or draws images of snakes, with turmeric, kumkum or rice paste, on the wall beside the entrance. A small puja follows with milk, flowers, parched rice (lahi), sesame and incense. In many places the day is kept without frying, cutting or digging, to avoid the chance of harming a snake, and the food is simple. Women often fast, and brothers receive blessings from their sisters.
Visits are made to naga temples and to anthills, where milk is poured. Pouring milk on a living snake is not good for the animal, and the traditional offering is to the image. In Kerala and Karnataka, groves set aside for snakes (sarpa kavu) hold special rites around this time. In parts of north India the day also brings village fairs and wrestling matches.
How the day is fixed
The rule used here follows Drik Panchang. The festival is on the civil day on which Panchami is in force in the Madhyahna, the midday fifth of the day; if it covers midday on two days, the second is taken. The puja window shown in the table begins at sunrise and runs for a fifth of the day, but only while Panchami is in force, so a tithi that starts mid-morning gives a shorter window.
Why cities differ
The tithi begins and ends at one instant for the whole world, but sunrise and midday are at different clock times in every city. A Panchami that starts shortly after midday gives one date in one city and the next date in another. The table shows each city’s date, and the any-city tool works out the same for places not listed.
A calm note
If you come across a snake, keep your distance and call local wildlife rescue; the day is a good one to remember that snakes keep rodents in check. Where an image and a few drops of milk at a shrine are not possible, a quiet prayer is enough. Follow your own family or temple on the day.