Nag Panchami 2027नाग पंचमी
Nag Panchami 2027 is on Friday, August 6, 2027. The kathas of Krishna and Kaliya and of Vasuki, how the naga puja is done, what is offered and why nothing is fried or tilled.
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The story of Nag Panchami
The nagas are older than the festivals kept for them. They coil at the throat of Shiva as Vasuki, who let himself be used as the churning rope of the ocean; they hold the earth as Shesha, on whose thousand hoods Vishnu sleeps between the ages. Nag Panchami honours them on the Shukla Panchami of Shravana, when the monsoon drives the snakes of the fields into the open and the village must live beside them.
The best loved katha is of the boy Krishna and Kaliya, the serpent whose poison had killed the Yamuna itself. Krishna leapt into the black water, was wound in coils, and then rose to dance upon the hoods until the naga bowed. He did not kill Kaliya: he sent him away with the mark of his feet on his heads, and the river ran clean again. That is the balance the festival keeps, respect for a power that can kill, and the refusal to answer it with slaughter.
How Nag Panchami is celebrated
| The image | a naga is drawn in cow dung, turmeric or sandal paste beside the door, or a silver or stone naga is bathed and worshipped. |
| Offerings | milk, water, haldi, durva, rice and lotus or champa flowers are offered with the names of the twelve nagas. |
| The vrat | many keep a day fast; in most homes nothing is fried and no field is tilled, so that no snake is harmed. |
| Kaal sarp | those advised of Kaal Sarp dosha do the Naga puja or the Rudrabhishek at a Shiva temple on this day. |
Battis Shirala in Maharashtra is famous for its naga processions; Kerala keeps the ancient sarpa kavu groves and the Mannarasala temple; Bengal keeps Manasa Puja for the serpent goddess; and in the North sisters offer milk at a snake hole and pray for their brothers.
Frequently asked questions
When is Nag Panchami in 2027?
Nag Panchami is on Friday, August 6, 2027, the Shukla Panchami of Shravana.
Should milk be poured on a live snake?
No. Snakes are not able to digest milk and it harms them; the milk is meant for the image, the idol or the anthill, not for a captured animal. Honouring the naga and being cruel to one cannot be done in the same act.
Why is nothing fried or tilled on Nag Panchami?
The tawa and the plough are both held to risk harming a snake sheltering in the earth or the hearth during the monsoon, so households set them aside for the day.
What is the story of Krishna and Kaliya?
Kaliya had poisoned a stretch of the Yamuna until nothing could live in it. Krishna jumped in, was coiled and then danced on the serpent’s hoods until he submitted; Krishna spared him and sent him to the sea, and the water was clean again.
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Dates are verified against authoritative Panchang sources (Drik Panchang, New Delhi). Traditions vary by family and region; for muhurat and puja vidhi please also consult your family panditji.