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Nag Panchami is a popular Hindu festival, celebrated during the Shukla Paksha Panchami in the Sravana month. As the name suggests, this festival is dedicated to worshipping snakes across various temples in the Indian culture. Additionally, this festival holds great significance for the people of Nepal. In 2024, Nag Panchami will be celebrated on 9 August. Keep on reading to learn all about Nag Panchami’s history, significance, and how Indians celebrate this festival.
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Nag Panchami 2024 Date and Timings
As mentioned earlier, this year Nag Panchami will be celebrated on 9 August, Friday. Here are the auspicious timings or muharat of Nag Panchami to conduct your pooja and festivities in 2024.
| Date | Tithi | Timings |
| August 9 | Panchami Tithi starts | 12:37 AM |
| August 10 | Panchami Tithi ends | 03:14 AM |
Why is Nag Panchami Celebrated?
Now that you know what Nag Panchami is, let’s learn why it is celebrated. This festival has been a part of Indian culture for a long time. Numerous Hindu texts such as Agni Purana, Narada Purana, and Garuda Purana contain references to this festival as there are numerous legends associated with Nag Panchami.
Nag Panchami in Garuda Purana
The text in Garuda Purana gives us some hints about why we celebrate Nag Panchami and what is its significance. It states that the reason we offer milk, sweets, and other offerings to snakes is because it will provide us with good things in life for ourselves as well as our loved ones. It also states that when we make such offerings to snakes, we must also feed Brahmins.
In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Janamejeya, the son of King Parikshit, was performing a snake sacrifice. He wanted to avenge the death of his father which was caused by the bite of snake king, Taksaka. Janamejeya instructed to build a special fireplace for the sacrifice.
The rituals and mantras of the sacrifice were so strong that all the snakes in the world started falling into the sacrificial fire.
Source: Jagannath Puri Hare Krishna Movement
However, the priests performing the sacrifice soon found that Taksaka had escaped and gone to Lord Indra to seek his protection. Accordingly, they increased the speed of reciting mantras so Taksaka could be driven into the fire. On the other hand, Taksaka, unable to bear the power of those mantras, coiled himself around Indra’s bed.
All the gods watching this were scared and thus, they approached Manasadevi to intervene and find the solution to this problem. She asked her son Astika to meet Janamejeya and put his yagna to an end. Impressed with Astika’s knowledge of scriptures, Janamejeya granted him a boon.
Source: Jagannath Puri Hare Krishna Movement
Astika used this boon to ask Janamejaya to stop the yagna or sacrificial fire. Since the king was known for never refusing a boon given to a Brahmin, he had to stop the fire. In this way, the lives of Takshaka and other serpents were spared.
Also Read: 10 Surprising and Lesser Known Facts About Indian Mythology!
Kaliya Mardan
There is another story behind the festival of Nag Panchmi, known as Kaliya Mardan. This legend tells us about the victory of Lord Krishna over Kaliya, a black serpent monster. One day Krishna and his friends were playing on the banks of Yamuna River when they heard some cries. They rushed only to discover that some of the other children had fallen into the river.
Villagers were scared as they knew that the deadly serpent Kaliya lived in the river. Any living creature who enters the river would eventually die. Krishna jumped into the river to save those children. Suddenly, Kaliya charged at Krishna and wanted to kill him. Krishna began playing his divine flute and jumped on Kaliya’s head.
Source: Wikipedia
He was about to kill Kaliya when suddenly Kaliya’s wives pleaded with him to spare Kaliya’s life. Krishna agreed to spare Kaliya’s life only if he promised to not return to Vrindavan and scare the villagers.
Also Read: Unknown Facts About the Bhagavad Gita
What is the Significance of Nag Panchami?
The Hindu festival of Nag Panchami holds more significance than what appears to our eyes. General beliefs associated with this festival imply that we can achieve happiness, prosperity, and well-being for ourselves as well as our families.
- Hinduism believes that by offering milk to Naga Devas on Nag Panchami, people can overcome the Kaal Sarp Dosh in their horoscopes.
- People also worship snakes on Nag Panchami to please Lord Shiva and seek blessings.
- Many people fast on the day of Naga Panchami as it is believed that it may help them overcome their fear of snakes.
- By offering sweets and milk to snakes, some people believe that they can decrease their chances of getting bitten by snakes.
- This festival of snakes teaches us to respect all forms of life whether big or small and not be indifferent to animals.
- Digging ground during the celebrations of Nag Panchami is also taboo in some cultures. It prevents people from accidentally killing snakes.
Source: Telangana Today
Also Read: Story of Krishna Janmashtami in English for Kids
What to do on Nag Panchami?
Celebrations on the occasion of Nag Panchami depend on various factors such as culture, region, and traditional practices. Here are some of the most popular ways to celebrate Nag Panchami with your family and loved ones.
- Some people fast one day before Nag Panchami which is also known as Nag Chaturthi.
- They also chant or recite mantras to please serpents and Lord Shiva.
- You can pray at any temple dedicated to Lord Shiva to get his blessings.
- In Gujarat, Nag Panchami is celebrated three days before the celebration of Krishna Janmashtami.
- People in Gujarat also celebrate Bola Choth or Bahula Chauth one day before Nag Panchami. On this day, they worship cattle, especially cows.
- You can offer flowers, milk, fruits, and sweets to snake idols and pray to them to ward off evil.
Related Blogs
| Krishna Janmashtami Wishes | Essay on Janmashtami |
| Story Behind the Jagannath Rath Yatra | Ganesh Chaturthi Wishes |
| Govardhan Puja | Story of Krishna Janmashtami |
FAQs
Nag Panchami is celebrated once a year in July or August. It falls in the Hindu month of Shravan.
According to Hindu beliefs, celebrating Nag Panchami can bless you with several benefits. It can help you attain health and prosperity, remove Kaal Sarp Dosha and Vastu Dosha, and above all, grant you the blessings of Nag Devta.
Panchami tithi starts at 12:37 AM on August 9 and ends at 03:14 AM on August 10.
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