Moodbidri: The sacred festival of Nagara Panchami was celebrated with deep spiritual fervour and traditional grandeur across all 18 Jain basadis in Sri Jain Kashi, Moodbidri, and in many other Jain temples across Dakshina Kannada district.
Devotees participated in ritual ablutions (abhisheka) to Naga Deva using water, tender coconut, milk, turmeric, and sandalwood paste. A variety of traditional dishes were prepared and offered as naivedya during the ceremony.
The celebrations were led by Swastishree Charukeerthi Bhattarak Panditacharya Swamiji, the revered pontiff of Sri Digambar Jain Mutt, Moodbidri. Swamiji performed key rituals at Guru Basadi, Kere Basadi, the Thousand Pillar Basadi, and the ancient Naga Bana near Kalsanka. A symbolic ritual involving the ceremonial carrying of a serpent form was also conducted under his guidance.
Addressing the congregation, Swamiji emphasized the spiritual significance of serpent worship in both Jain and Vedic traditions. He detailed the twelve sacred serpents—Ananta, Vasuki, Shesha, Padma, and others—each associated with a month of the year. He referenced Jain texts like Nagakumara Charite by Pushpadanta and the 1st-century Tattvartha Sutra by Acharya Umaswamy, which highlight the celestial and spiritual stature of serpents in Jain cosmology.
Swamiji recounted the story of King Nagakumara, believed to have attained liberation through the Naga Panchami fast, reinforcing the festival’s spiritual depth.
The rituals concluded with blessings from Acharya Gulab Bhushan Maharaj. Prominent attendees included Abhayachandra Jain, Shailendra, Sanjayant Kumar, chief priest Parshwanath Indra, Viraj, Suvidhi, and Jagatpal Indra.