AFTERNOON DISPATCH & COURIER (Bombay, India) 11 August 05 Charming snakes - Naga Panchami is a festival to worship snakes to ward off snakebites
It was the fifth day of the bright half of the Shravan yesterday, and Naga Panchami - the festival of snakes - was celebrated. The setting sun was witness to mile-long processions of gaily-decorated bullock carts, cheerfully trundling to the Babulnath temple in Mumbai.
But the only thing missing was the live snakes, which has been banned from last year. Interestingly, snake charmers are back with snake idols made of clay and brass. Mortality from snakebites must have been considerable during the monsoon to prompt people to worship snakes to seek protection from them.
Serpent worship, no doubt, owes its origin to man's natural fear of these reptiles. Hindu books are filled with stories and fables about snakes, and pictures and images of them meet you at every turn.
On this day, women draw figures of snakes on the walls of their houses using a mixture of black powder, cow dung and milk. It is believed that in reward for this worship, snakes will never bite any member of the family. In Maharashtra, snake charmers go from house to house carrying dormant cobras in cane baskets, asking for alms and clothing.
Kulsava Kuldeva, a snake charmer sitting outside the temple says, "I have no money to raise my kids. Earlier, when I had the live snake, people used to really worship my snake and I earned a lot of money through that. But now, even when we have a snake idol, the police is after us."
Munna Prajapati, who sells snake idols near the temple has been in this business for the last 18 years. His stall features snakes of different sizes and colour and the price ranges from Rs. 50 to Rs. 100. "I never dealt in live snakes. In fact, due to the ban, my profits have shot up. The only problem is that the BMC always harasses me, affecting my business."
But nothing seems to worry the devotees. Kamifnath Pisa, a Shiv devotee said, "I don't believe in offering milk to an idol. Blessing can be gained only from a real snake. Snake charmers just want to earn money and so this kind of an idol worshiping now."
Another Shiva devotee said, "I miss those days when I used to offer milk to live snakes. But things are quite different now. Live snakes are not available anywhere in Mumbai, so we are left with offering milk to clay idols."
Charming snakes - Naga Panchami is a festival to worship snakes to ward off snakebites