Mangaluru: Today is special for the people of Dakshina Kannada as the festival of the Serpent God-“Nagara Panchami” coincidentally falls on the same day as the Indian Independence Day this year.
In spite of the rains, thousands of devotees thronged to the Anantha Padmanabha Temple at Kudupu to offer their prayers to the serpent god on August 15. Devotees offered milk, ghee, honey, tender coconut water, flowers and turmeric to please the Gods and sought their blessings.
Scores of devotees paid a visit to the Anatheshwara Temple in Manjeshwara, Kasargod to offer prayers to ‘Serpent God’. Devotees offered Kshirabhisheka and Panchamrutha Abhisheka to the Gods. People from Mangaluru, Kasargod, Udupi, Kundapur, Puttur, Hassan, Madikeri, Kumble, Bengaluru, Chennai had come to offer prayers at the temple.
Nagara Panchami is a traditional festival of the coast, where devotees worship serpents. It is believed that snakes ward off evils and protect the land. According to lore, Lord Krishna had killed the “Kalinga Sarpa” on this day.
