Visakhapatnam: Nagula Chavithi celebrated with religious fervour

Visakhapatnam : Sachets of milk and trays of eggs were flying off the shelves and their demand at shops went several notches up as devotees headed to snake pits and temples to offer prayers to the Lord of Serpents.

Known as ‘Nagula Chavithi’, the festival is celebrated on the fourth day after Diwali Amavasya (New Moon Day). Carrying baskets of fresh flowers, earthen lamps, incense sticks, camphor, fruits and homemade sweets, the devotees performed puja to appease the Lord of Serpents by treating them to a lavish spread of edible stuff as a part of the festivities.

Every other snake pit in the neighbourhood was heaped with milk, eggs and sweets along with turmeric and vermilion. As if the pampering was not enough, some of the children had even burst crackers close to the pits. “Bursting crackers is an indication of our presence in the snake’s habitat. So, when we visit the snake pits to perform puja once a year, they do not come out of the pits hissing all of a sudden,” reasons N Madhavi, a homemaker, who came to the snake pit at Seethammadhara with her children to perform puja.

While most women were seen worshipping the snake pits on Friday, some also offered prayers to ‘Naga Devatha’ housed in temple premises. According to the Puranas, worshipping serpents forms an integral part of Hindu culture. Also, people believe that by worshipping serpents, children would be protected from venomous creatures and their bites, while childless couples would be blessed with fertility. In Hindu scriptures, serpents played an imperative part, including in acquiring the elixir of immortal life during ‘Samudra Manthana’. Serpent King Vasuki served as a churning rope of the cosmic ocean. The trident-yielding Lord Siva’s neck is coiled with the serpent, while Lord Vishnu rests on the divine ‘Adisesha’.

As a part of the festival, a number of devotees appeased ‘Naga Devatha’ following a host of rituals and observing fast. Temples that housed serpent deities witnessed crowds as several families waited for their turn to offer prayers to them. Snake pits at parks and neighbourhoods like Seethammadhara, MVP Colony, Gopalapatnam, Visalakshinagar, parts of Andhra University campus, Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, stretches of NH-16 near Port Stadium, Sheelanagar, among other localities, were worshipped.