Nag Panchami 2023: Date, Time, Puja, Rituals, Significance of the Hindu festival

The festive air is tinged with spirituality as Nag Panchami, the revered Hindu festival, draws near. Falling on the fifth day of the Sawan month during the Shukla Paksha, this year's Nag Panchami is set to be celebrated on Monday, August 21. A devotion-filled day, Nag Panchami is dedicated to the worship of the Serpent God, holding deep significance for its adherents.

2 things you need to know

• Nag Panchami will be celebrated on August 21 this year.
• Devotees offer milk, sweets to serpent god on this sacred day.

Nag Panchami 2023: Date and Time

Nag Panchami finds its roots in ancient Hindu traditions, where it emerges two days after Hariyali Teej, usually falling in July or August. The upcoming year's Nag Panchami, as per the Drik Panchang, will commence its puja at 5:53 am and conclude at 8:30 am. The puja tithi, spanning from August 21 at 12:21 am to August 22 at 2:00 am, signifies a time for reverence and observance. Interestingly, the festival is slated for Monday, September 4, in Gujarat, allowing for regional variations in the celebration.

(Devotees offer prayers at Lord Shiva temple on Nag Panchami | Image: iStock)

The Significance of Nag Panchami

This festival holds great reverence among Hindus due to its dedication to snakes, creatures that are both feared and venerated for their potent nature. With roots deep in Hindu mythology, snakes find a place of significance in religious scriptures. The festival holds special importance for the Naga tribe and is celebrated as a way to appease snakes, seek protection from serpents, and alleviate the fear of Kaal Sarpa Dosha, a negative astrological condition.

Rituals and Celebrations

Nag Panchami is observed with fervour and devotion. Devotees partake in a variety of rituals to please Lord Shiva and seek blessings for their families. One ritual involves crafting snake images on walls or paper using coal. Offerings of flowers, Kumkum, haldi (turmeric), and sweets are made as a mark of devotion. Milk and kheer, a sweet rice pudding, are offered to snakes, either symbolically or to live Cobras. Some even make the daring gesture of offering milk to real snakes, with the assistance of snake charmers.

(Devotees offer milk and do puja of real snakes as well | Image: iStock)

A remarkable aspect of Nag Panchami is the opening of the Mahakaleshwar Temple's doors in Ujjain, allowing devotees to witness the Nag Chandreshwar for a brief 24-hour window. The Mansa Mata temple in Haridwar also witnesses a throng of devotees seeking blessings and solace.

The Fulfilment of Rituals

Devotees rise early, cleansing themselves with a morning bath before embarking on the puja rituals. Snake images, often created with coal, become symbols of devotion. Flowers, Kumkum, haldi, and sweets form offerings that are tendered with reverence. Milk and kheer offerings symbolise the worship of these powerful beings, with some adherents even daring to approach real snakes under the guidance of snake charmers.