Naga Panchami is a day of traditional worship of Naga or snakes. It is a festival celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Buddhists on the fifth day of the lunar month Shravan, which is usually in July or August. In some states of India like Karnataka, Rajasthan and Gujarat, the festival is celebrated with great pomp.
On this day, the Naga or serpent deity is revered by giving a milk bath and devotees seek blessings for the family. In many places, live snakes, especially Cobra are also worshipped with the help of snake charmer.
Now, recently, the Sirsi city of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka has grabbed the limelight after a kid worshipped a real snake. The first thought that comes to mind when seeing a snake is to either shoo it away with a stick or flee, but this child worshipped the reptile instead.
As per reports, Prashant Hulekal of Sirsi is a recognised snake rescuer. Following his footsteps, his son Dheeraj Hulekal, who is barely five or six years old, has learned the skill of protecting snakes. Now, during this Naga Panchami, the little boy revered a snake.
In the video, Dheeraj can be seen putting on a garland on the snake which is placed inside a huge brass plate. There are many ritual-related materials kept near and a coconut is also kept. The father can be seen deftly manoeuvring the flower-adorned garland and putting flowers on the snake. He can be seen performing aarti of the reptile with incense sticks while a diya is lit beside it. The ritual is followed by pouring a few spoons of milk on the real snake.
As per reports, many people from Sirsi visit Prashant Hulekal’s house to witness this ritual. The worshipped snake is later released into the forest after the pooja rituals are done.
The Hulekal family made a special request on the auspicious occasion of Naga Panchami that if anybody spots a snake, do not fear it or kill it. It too has a life like humans and instead celebrates it.
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