Naga Panchami: The Day of Serpent God

Siddhi B. Ranjitkar

Nepalis are religious people; they have been worshipping water, fire, sun, animals, birds and reptiles and so on almost everybody and everything; so do they worship Naga: the Serpent God on the day called Naga Panchami. This day falls on the fifth day of the bright fortnight in the month called Sravon (July-August) in the Vikram calendar. Nepalis believe that Nagas are rain gods that bring water. So, they are the guardians of water: one of the five life-supporting elements such as ether, light, air, water and earth.

One day before the Naga Panchami, we went to Ason, Kathmandu to buy hand-printed Naga God. I was surprised to see so many varieties of Naga gods printed in simple papers and glossy papers. Some are traditional hand-printed; others are machine-printed. We chose a simple small-sized hand-printed Naga God.

Next morning, the head of our family my father standing on a chair pasted the paper-Naga God on the lintel of the main entrance to the house. First, he cleaned the area with the holy water, and then smeared it with cow dung, as it is believed to be the holy item. He pasted the paper Naga God on the cow dung. On the top of the paper Naga God, he put a small lump of cow dung, and in it he inserted a few fresh green auspicious grass called ‘dubo’. Thereafter, he offered barely, sesame seeds, milk, and homemade butter called ‘gheu’ and honey altogether five elements to the paper Naga God. This is a special offering of five elements made to Naga God only. We believe that the paper Naga God pasted on the beam of the main entrance protects the house from lightning and fire for a year.

My mother stay away from the offerings my father made to Naga God for some unknown reasons. Later, I found out that it is not auspicious for women to be near Naga God. Expectant mothers even abstain from visiting the places where Nagas are supposed to be dwelling believing that such a visit might cause miscarriage.

On this day of Naga Panchami, an annual religious festival is held at Taudaha about five kilometers south of Kathmandu. We believe that a Naga God called Karkot Naga resides there with other serpents. Most of the visitors make offerings to the Naga God in the lake called Taudaha. All Nagas went to reside in Taudaha after legendary God Manjusri drained the water from the Kathmandu Valley Lake.

Nagas were the tutelary gods of Licchavis that ruled Nepal for about 500 years from 400 to 800 in the Gregorian calendar. Probably, they set the tradition of worshipping Nagas, and celebrating Naga Panchami as the day dedicated to Nagas. In addition, they decorated temple doors, waterspouts and other important religious and social places with carved wooden, stone and metallic images of Nagas. Therefore, Nagas occupy a special domain of the Nepalese life.

Nagas occupy special positions along with Garuda on the Toranas placed as decorative elements over the doorways to temples. Garuda is a mythical bird with a human head supposed to be a half brother of Nagas. A myth has it that Nagas and Garuda were half brothers: the children of the same father but from different mothers. The mother of Nagas tricked Garuda’s mother to be a life-long slave. When Garuda came of age and understood the dirty trick his stepmother had played on his mother, he fought with the half brothers: Nagas.  The fight went on for several years until Lord Vishnu intervened in their fight and negotiated for peace. Lord Vishnu offered Garuda the honor to be his steed in return for wearing a Naga around his neck as a symbol of reconciliation between Garuda and Nagas. So, we see Garuda wearing a Naga around his neck and sitting on the top of a stone pillar with his hands clasped at the chest at the main entrance to every temple to Lord Vishnu. We believe that the stone image of Garuda at the Changu Narayan temple perspires every year on the festival of Naga Panchami.

Mythically, Nagas represent the force of whirlwinds on earth whereas Garuda represents the sky that controls such turbulence. Thus, Garuda and Nagas together balance the environment on earth. So, we see Garuda and Nagas together on all Toranas of both the Hindu and Buddhist temples.

Religiously, Nagas are the companions of various gods such as Shiva and Vishnu, Bhairav and Ganesh. Supreme Hindu God Shiva wears Nagas on his head, neck and arms. Another prominent Hindu God Vishnu loves to lie on the coil of braided-nine Nagas floating on water. Tantric God called Bhairav popularly believed to be the incarnation of Lord Shiva also wears a Naga around his neck. Elephant-headed God Ganesh wears a Naga around his neck as a sacred thread.

Nagas also function as the part of chariot of Lord Matsyendranath. Kakort Naga is believed to be the chassis that carries the whole load of the chariot in which Matsyendranath travels for a month or even two every year. Similarly, the ropes used for pulling the chariot also represent other Nagas.

Nevahs believe that the guardian God called Kuber is the incarnation of Basuki Naga. So, they think that Nagas reside in their treasury room. The long key of their traditional lock represents Basuki Naga. Even today, Nevahs follow the tradition of welcoming a newly wedded bride to the house with the turning-over ceremony of the key. This is done by the mother-in-law leading the newly wedded bride to a home both holding the ends of the key entering the house.

Nevahs never hurt any snake appearing in their house. They think snake is a divinity and revere such a divine guest lighting an incense stick to give fragrant smell to appease it. Such a divine guest crawls to its destination without harming anybody.

The traditional belief of Nevahs is that a pitcher filled with home-brewed beer placed on a coil of Nagas yields never ending quantity of it until they move it from such a cushion. So, they make a coiled cushion of rice straw; then they invoke Nagas in it and then place a beer pitcher on it. This is usually done at the time of holding a large feast that requires a good quantity of such beverage.

A legend has it that Lord Gorkhanath was in Nepal in a human guise. On the way he met a group of people hanging out at a pub. Seeing a stranger, they offered him a bowl of locally home-brewed beer. Gorkhanath found it was nice and quenching his thirst. Noticing Gorkhanath enjoyed drinking the beer, they offered Gorkhanath to drink the whole pot of the beer if he could. It was a challenge that Gorkhanath could not refuse. So, he took it.

The lady in the pub served one bowl of the beer after another. Lord Gorkhanath went on drinking one bowl after another and enjoyed the good taste of the beer. So, he drank so many bowls that he thought the pot must be empty long ago but the lady continued to serve him the beer.

Surprised by the never-ending beer coming out of the pot, Lord Gorkhanath stopped for a moment and used his transcendental vision to see the pot and the cushion on which it was sitting. To his utmost surprise, Lord Gorkhanath saw a coil of twelve Nagas used as a cushion had been fetching the beer. In the heat of anger, Lord Gorkhanath seized all of them and sat on them causing a drought for twelve years, as the detained Nagas could not cause rains.

A tantric priest found that the reason for the drought was Lord Gorkhanath holding the Nagas hostage. Lord Gorkhanath would rise up only to greet his teacher Matsyendranath. So, a king, a tantric priest and a porter went from Nepal to Kamarupa and brought Matsyendranath to Nepal. When Lord Gorkhanath came to know that Matsyendranath was in Nepal he got up releasing all Nagas immediately causing heavy rains thus ending the twelve-year drought.

Nagas also possess power of healing different ailments. Nevahs make offerings to three different Naga gods for healing three different ailments. If a person has a burning pain then s/he makes offerings to Mi (fire) Naga. When a person has blisters with inflammation on his/her body, then s/he makes offerings to Jal (water) Naga. In addition, such a patient gets an artist draw four small lions facing to the blisters and enclosing the inflamed area. Nevahs believe that such lions gobble down the blisters. If a person suffers from itchy pimples they worship Ghori Naga for relief.

So, Nepalis revere Nagas once a year on the fifth day of the bright fortnight of Sravon (July-August) in the Vikram calendar performing various religious activities following the tradition.

Note: This year’s Naga Panchami is on July 26, 2009