Hindu festival
Nag Panchami
Also known as Naga Panchami.
In short
Nag Panchami is the day of worship of the serpent deities (nagas), on the fifth tithi of the waxing moon in Shravana. Milk and offerings are made to serpent images and to living snakes, seeking protection from harm and the blessings of fertility and well-being.
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When is Nag Panchami?
- This year’s date
- Set by the panchang each year from the rule below. Godify shows a specific date only once it is confirmed against an authoritative panchang — never guessed.
- Tithi / rule
- Panchami (5th tithi of the waxing moon) of the month of Shravana
- Calendar
- Lunar calendar (tithi-based)
- Deity
- Shiva
The serpents (nagas) are honoured, and Shiva — who wears the serpent-king Vasuki — is invoked. Some regions keep it in the Krishna Paksha of Shravana.
The story of Nag Panchami
Serpents hold a deep place in Hindu tradition — Shesha, who bears Vishnu on the ocean of milk; Vasuki, coiled at Shiva's throat; the nagas as guardians of waters and of the earth's hidden treasures. To honour them is to honour the forces that sustain and protect life.
The festival falls in the monsoon month of Shravana, when snakes rise from flooded burrows and cross the paths of people. Devotees remember, too, the child Krishna subduing the serpent Kaliya — the taming of danger into reverence rather than fear.
How is Nag Panchami celebrated?
Devotees offer milk, flowers, and turmeric to images of nagas or at snake-mounds and temples, draw serpent figures at the threshold, fast, and pray for protection from snakebite and for the family's well-being. The living serpent is honoured, never harmed.
A mantra to mark the day
ॐ नमः शिवाय
oṃ namaḥ śivāya
I bow to Shiva, the auspicious inner Self who transforms and frees.
More Hindu festivals
About Nag Panchami
When is Nag Panchami?
On the Shukla Panchami (5th tithi of the waxing moon) of Shravana; some regions keep it in the waning fortnight. The exact date is set by the panchang each year.
Who is worshipped on Nag Panchami?
The nagas — the serpent deities — together with Shiva, who wears the serpent Vasuki. Devotees seek protection, fertility, and family well-being.
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