Festival · Shravana Shukla Panchami
Nag Panchami 2026
Shravana Shukla Panchami is Nag Panchami: the snake is worshipped, with milk and puffed rice. And today, no digging and no chopping!
Date, tithi and timing
Times are for Pune. The app gives times for your city.
Date by city
The date is the same in every city listed.
Next year, 2027
Quick facts
- Also known asNaga Panchami, Bhratru Panchami
- WhereAll of India and Nepal; in Maharashtra, Battis Shirala is famous for it
- Puja forThe naga, the snake deity
- In one lineSnakes guard the fields and are the farmer's friends: you honour them, and ask to be kept safe from them.
Nag Panchami, in a little more detail
- 01
About the festival
Shravana means rain, and in the rain snakes come out of their holes. Nag Panchami isn't about fearing them; it's about giving them their due.
The snake guards the fields, so it is the farmer's friend. Today nobody digs or ploughs, and at home nobody even chops vegetables: no snake should be hurt, not even by accident.
The lesson: even what scares you has its work in nature. Let it live.
- 02
The farmer and the snake mother
A farmer was ploughing his field. The blade of his plough caught a snake's three young, and they died.
The snake mother was furious. In revenge she bit everyone in the farmer's house. Only one daughter was left.
The girl set out milk for the snake, folded her hands and begged forgiveness. The snake mother softened and brought them all back to life. That's why the snake gets milk today, and the plough stays still.
- 03
In Maharashtra and beyond
At home a snake is drawn on the wall and worshipped, with milk and puffed rice and a wheat kheer as naivedya. It was on this Shravana Panchami, people believe, that Krishna beat the serpent Kaliya.
Women and girls tie swings to the trees and sing, play jhimma and phugadi, and put on mehendi. A brother brings his married sister home to her parents.
Battis Shirala in Sangli district is famous for Nag Panchami. Live cobras used to be caught and worshipped here. Since a 2002 court order, only a symbolic procession goes out.
Ujjain's Nagchandreshwar shrine opens on this one day of the year. In eastern India the goddess Manasa is worshipped, and in Kerala women pray at the sarpa kavu, the snake groves.
How to do the puja
In short: A naga drawn or moulded at home, milk, lahya and kheer for it, and a day without digging, chopping or the tava.
- 1The day before, clean the house and chop the next day's vegetables ahead.In many homes the yard is plastered with cow dung the day before, with a rangoli too.
- 2Draw a naga on the wall or a wooden pat, or set up a clay naga.It's drawn in sandalwood or turmeric paste. Clay nagas are sold in the market.
- 3Worship it with haldi-kunku, flowers and durva.In many places women go singing to an anthill and worship it. Don't break the anthill.
- 4Offer milk, lahya and a wheat kheer as naivedya.This milk is for the drawn or clay naga. Don't give milk to a real snake.
- 5Pray for the family's safety, and wish the snakes well too.The thought for the day: even an animal that scares you has its place in nature.
- 6All day, no ploughing, digging, chopping, pounding or tava.That's why many homes cook boiled or steamed things today, like puranache dinde.
- 7If a snake turns up near home, don't touch it: call a snake rescuer.Snakes are protected by the wildlife law. Don't kill or catch one, and keep children and pets back.
What you needTick as you go
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Frequently asked questions
Should I give milk to a real snake?
No. Snakes don't drink milk. Charmers keep them starved and thirsty, so they take it and fall ill: dehydration, pneumonia. Offer the milk to the drawn or clay naga.
Can I worship a live cobra today?
No. The cobra is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: catching, keeping or showing one is a crime. If you see a snake charmer, tell the forest department.
No chopping and no tava: so what do I cook?
Cook with what you chopped the day before, and make boiled or steamed dishes: puranache dinde, kheer, varan-bhat. Many homes skip frying too.
What if a snake comes into the house?
Stay calm and step away. Move children and pets back. Don't kill or catch it: call a local snake rescuer or the forest department, and watch from a distance where it goes.
Should I fast today?
Some do, but it isn't required. In many homes the day's meal is simply the naivedya dishes.
Set a reminder in the app
The app sends a notice the day before and on the day, even offline.