6

CUSTOMS AML jPRaOTIOBS.

The customs of any country take their root in the

tradition of that nation*
long standing.

As such, they show their

At times, it is quite probable for

them to undergo a change depending upon the stress

and strain of circumstance*

Avon the traces of

some such, at present are enough to prove their

antiquity and widespread observance of them at one
stage in the growth and development of the race or
nation to which they belong.
The cult of snake has existed in India since
very early times.

With the passage of time, the

cult expanded among various seotions of people.

attained a distinct individuality of its own.

It
In

course of time, it had its impact on other creeds

also.

Many rituals and practices began to be performed

in the snake-cult, which showed its vitality and

strength.
Rituals and Practices:
ihe Buddhist women of Ladakh, however poor
are they, possess a parak.

This ornament

a hooded cobra in all respects.

resembles

It is a head-gear.

In wearing it, its tail-end is fastened to the hair

on the fore-head and the hood descends down to the

waist.

Usually, it is of leather containing tur

quoises and brooches of silver or gold as the case

may be.

She wearing of parak by Ladakh woman

in the present times may be taken for a diminutive

form of one time prevalent naga-worship amongst
them.

Like the parak ox the Ladakh women, the

women, especially, the teen-aged among girls

in Andhra Pradesh, used to wear a gold-omament
called nagaram1 containing the serpent-figures
in their locks of hair.
She niga is worshipped by thirteen rajput house
holds of the Himalayas*
to certain families.

Its worship is specific

At present, only one villager

has a house-hold shrine to this god, which is no

longer used.
a

special farm of snake-worship, to avoid the

displeasure of naga-raja and of snakes in general,

is in wide currency in Northern India.

In Sirkinda,

if a farmer hurts or kills a snake with his plough,

he is to stop work at once and give away the oxen,
the plough and his own clothes to Bajgis.

Some such

1 Mrs. Murray - aynsley; Symbolism of the Last and

West (Ueorge Hedway London, 1900) p.126

people also give away the field of that sinful

occurence to them.

But quite frequently, the land

is left barren for several seasons*

Afterwards*

a special ceremony is held in which three metal

oobras of gold, silver, and copper are worshipped.
1
xiater, Brahmans and the house-hold women are fed
ihe custom of worshipping the ant-hill p and
bringing the lucky earth of it at marriages is also
found there, especially, among the Ehangars of the
old Central Provinces*
Ihe Jadeja Bajputs of Badhh conduct their chief
procession of the Bay to the temple of the naga in
Bhujfort*

rz

i'he worship of snakeheroes like Telaji,

Buga and Pipa is oommon among Bajputs.

In Central India the snake-cult is very prominent.
At

Sagar people worship the nag-deo sometimes at a

shrine, sometimes at the snake-hole, and also at their

houses drawing an image of him with butter and cow-dung
on the house-wall.

1 Gerald D. Barreman, Hindus of the Himalayas (Oxford

University mt Press, Bombay, 1965) P* 572
2. Crooke, op.cit., p.418.
3 Ibid., p.418

In Bihar women distemper their houses and

worship Sesa with milk and parched grain*

On Gobar

Panch, which falls on the fifth day of the dark

fortnight of Sravaq, the naga is worshipped in Patna*
In south Bhagalpur district, it is called Behra

Pancami
1
The most remarkable in ^ssam, is the worship
of a gigantic snake called G fhlen.

fhis greatly

demands human sacrifice for its appeasement.

a known thing to all that several murders

It is

have

taken place in very recent times to satisfy him.

In Western India the naga-worship is formed
with a certain rite called nag-abali'.

Ihis is

done for various attainments, chiefly for obtaining

children, to get rid oneself of loathsome diseases,
to wipe off the sin of killing a snake, or for the
redemption of the soul of the man died of snake-bite.
Naga-worship is very common in the south, especially in itodhra and Karnataka*'7'

Besides, the

Banavasi 3 inscription in Ganara dates back the existence

1* Deoras, op.cit., p. 12
2. Crooks, op*cit., p. 415
3. Bombay Gazetteer, 4V, II, 261 (1883); for early
snake images and inscriptions of Mysore and
Goorg from the inscription, pp. 15, 115, 202.
(quoted by Grooke, op.cit., Vol. KI, p.413)

. / ?? .

of the naga-worship

there*

Thus, it is also ancient*

Here* we see the stone-images of coiled cobras*

snake

twine, and even uncoiled cobras with spread-hood being

erected, usually under a pipal tree separately or
under one in a Siva temple* normally* facing the Hast*
Thus, it seems that the snake-cult had an a
elaborate system of rituals and ceremonies to perform
for its worship like other gods, it was properly fed
Saddfc with different kinds of foods.

Its killing

was considered inauspicious and one had to perform

expiatory rites.

These rituals were practiced by

many in axl parts of India.

Hven today, lagpancami

is being continued as a form of snake-worship.

The Gaddis (ahirs converted to Islam), Grhirths,
r-

and the people of Ghurah worship the snake.

The

people of Kanaur pray to the nagas Beota in the

following manners '0, thou, who livest within the
wall, who livest in holes, who canst go into a
vessel, who canst swiftly run, who livest in the
water, upon trees, in the waste land, whs among the
meadowa, who hast power like the thunder-bolt, who
livest within the hollow trees, among the rocks,
within the caves, be victorious' .

1. Grooke, op.cit., p. 412

In the United Province# after their tradition,

the head of the family takes a bath, paints on the
wall of his bed-room

two outlines of serpents#

and then makes offerings

of the serpentine deities.
to the eight naga-chiefs.
into water.

to a Brahman in the name

People generally pray
Girls throw offerings

No work is done on that day.

and labourers

Artisans

take holiday and worship their tools,

fills is observed on the fifth day of Sravan, the nigpancami day.

*

Again, at the Biwali festival, the snake-worshippers

go in a procession.to his temple and keep a blazing
torch there in his honour.

Ihe naga-god alone is paid

such an honour.
Mathura, ahichhatra, the Benares are said to be
the chief centres of naga-worship.

But mostly we find

it there in association as with lord Krsna in Mathura

*

and with Siva in Benares.

wear
Some Sirkanda worshippess of the naga-raja xfcsxs
gold ear-rings sac or silver bracelets containing the
image of the naga-hood in honour of their god

2LCC

In Bengal, the goddess Manasa ' is worshipped

as nag-deota, in connection with nagpancami.

The

goddess is believed to afford protection against

snake-bite and praised as 'visahari'

(destroyer of

poison)
fhe Andhras have so much adoration for the naga
that they worship the naga-god atleast thrice a year.
On the day of ' nagula chaviti* , the fourth day of
the bright fortnight of Kartik (November), Brahmans
*

and especially women of all castes offer cow-milk

to the nagdeo or Lord Subrahmanya or Subbarayudu
going to an ant-hill, the usual abode of snakes.
This may be taken for a form of the worship of live
nagas.

Ihey fast on that day and take meals the

next morn only after offering s food for a Brahman

bachelor boy in the name of Lord Subrahmanya, the
naga deva.

Similarly, it is observed on "Subrahmanya

sasti", the sixth day in the bright half of Margasira

-S

(December) month.

ihe worship of knanta is performed

on the fourteenth day of Bhadrapada (September ).

Beyond these three occasions, two other days are also
observed in connection with the naga-worship.

ihe

1 . Basudha Ghakravarty, Worship of the snake-goddess A festival in Bengal (Vivekananda Kendra Patrika,
Vol. VI, 1-1977) ,p. 255

fourth-day of Vaisakh (April) and the fourth-day of

r*

Sravan (July) are those two days, which are called

the nagacaturdhi' days and which are observed by
*

a few.
Inspite of their strong feeling and devotional
fervour for the naga-god, the Andhras have only a
few temples dedicated to him.
a good place in their heart.

But, he ever finds

Ihis is true.

Because,

they have been in the habit of christening their

progeny after their heart-felt god as 'Kageswara Bastry
SubraJamapya 3armaf, igesavataram1 , 1 imantarao1,
f*.

>*

s*-

'Magaratnam*, 'Nagamani1 , *Sesamma1, etc.; of giving

*

jfm.

jm,

names to the places of * Anantavaram* , 'Wagavarappadu,

*-

**

'Magamudi* , 'm Sarpavaram', Kalahasti1; of naming

mountain^ as 'Sesadri', and of streams as 'Haguleru'
etc.

ihis nomenclature suggests more of reverence

for the nagas than to their prevalance in those places.

1'he most important and interesting factor to be
observed in connection with the naga-worship of the
Andhras is that their practice marks a deviation from
that of the other people of the country.

Whereas,

others worship the naga on the fifth day erf Sravan

(nagpancami) , the Andhras worship the nagas, a day
in advance or a day later, i.e., on the fourth day of

2jOZj.

Sravan, and on the sixth day of Margasir month.

But

all their naga-festivals fill in the bright fortnight,

unlike the Behra Pancami or (lobar Panca that falls on
n

the fifth of the dark fortnight of Sravan month.

1'he reason behind their naga-worship on caturdhi day
(the fourth day of Vaisakh, 3ravan, Kartik, and
Margasir month) respectively) may be an interesting
S'

research topic for others.

Snake-stones are set up to this day at the entrance
of most villages and towns in Karnataka for adoration
of the public.

Offerings are made to the living cobras*

Snake images are worshipped chiefly by women to obtain

children.

Hence, snake worship is often performed

at marriages as among the Bedars of the Deccan, by

married women.

Worship of the ant-hill and embracing

it was a recognised mode of taking sanctuary.

Killing

cobras is a taboo, and the body of one that has been

killed is solemnly cremated.

In xanjore, the naga-worship

is common.

High

caste people consider it a sin to kill a cobra,

i'hey

believe that the sin of killing a cobra leads to

childlessness, while children may be obtained by its

1. Grooke, op.cit., Vol. Ia, p.66

2. Ibid., op.cit., Vol. 1a, p.413

worship.

2 jO

For this reason, most women in our country

wear snake-rings and snake-bracelets as fertility

and protective charms.
From the above facts, it is clear ifckafc that the
naga-cult iBJBxak is not only country-wide, but also
a living faith of the present day Hindus.

It may

also be said as the largest faith in vogue at present.

From the facts mentioned above, it is easy
for us to understand that all the rituals, offerings
were introduced to foster religion among the masses.
But, in course of time, various forms sprang up.
Of course, it is proper to pay some attention to form,
customs and conventions.
BiLIO S3

Beliefs, in general, take their origin in the

frequent occurrence oaf things almost in similar
circumstances and finally leading to the same result
even with different people,

tradition and literature

play their role in strengthening them.

We find several

beliefs connected with snakes in our country.

them, which are related to
1.

Borne of

nagas, are as follows;

That serpents live in, gaurd, and control

waters, with a is a world-wide belief.
Many lakes and tanks in North India are
saia to be sacred to serpents.

All the

Z o/jfb

lakes and other water-sources in kashmir

are associated with nagas and their worship*
Mafrapadma is believed to be the tutelary
guardian of the largest lakes, the Vulur.
Hot springs are chiefly associated with
snakes and also with their worship.

The

.y

Sesagundam of Bhadrachalam of Andhra Prade^i

i

is worth mentioning in this context.

2.

Another belief of wide currency belongs to

the medical field which advances the theory
of 'similis similibus curanta'.

Accordingly,

it is believed that the eurest remedy for

snake-bite is to eat the flesh of a serpent

or to anoint with its fat or to apply part

of its body to the wound.

2. Another belief quite conmon in our country

is connected with the snake guarding a buried
treasure.

In this connection, it seems apt

to quote Crooke.

It tells how a rich person

without an heir after death becomes a dragon

or snake in the immediate next birth and
guards over the possessions of his previous

1.

Crooke,

op. cit., p. 415

2.

Ibid., p. 406

birth out of ail fondness for them*

But,

after a time, when fed up with the snakelife, - he lets out his intention of
giving it away to some one he likes in
the neighbourhood or so in human voice,
or informs him of it appearing in his
dreams.

For, this benefit,

the man is

required to sacrifice one of his nearest

and dearest as demanded by the treasureserpent.

Only after this the snake

frees itself from that monotonous life*

Shis belief gives scope for different
ideas as follows:a) Beep attachment with material gains
of a man ultimately renders him into
a monstrous snake in his life beyond
life.
Shis rather oonfirms the common belief
that dragons guard treasure and also
possess some magical powers*
c) It is only such monstrous snakes that
demand for human victims*
d) It is possible to get the human form
back only when the man in serpent form
frees himself from that sinful attach1
ment by giving it away to others.
1. Vogel, op. cit., p. 21

ZjOi,

4* Ihe snakes will never hurt their fellow

clansmen or those possessing the Oaruda
line in their palm.
5. She serpent was believed to be free from
decrepitude, and disease, characteristic
of immortals.
6. It is commonly believed that eating of
flesh or heart of some snakes, chiefly
of a fabulous white snake, bestowed
wisdom or a knowledge of' beast and bird
language upon the eater.

as

the serpent

was regarded as an embodiment of wisdom,

eating its flesh was believed to transfer
that to the eater.
7.

as

the snake is associated with fertility,

the ant-hill earth is also believed to possess

medicinal properties.

Most people of the

South consider it to be a sure remedy for

leprosy and sterility, if applied to the
body or taken in small quantities.

In this

context it iB interesting to note that the

Dhangars of Uttar Pradesh also worship the
ant-hill for a different reason, which has
nothing to do with snakes or snake-worship.

1.

Orooke, op.cit., p. 409

c-

7 ;

8* I'he ant-hilly the general abode of snakes,

is also believed to be indicative of watersprings under it.

9* It is believed that the frequent appearance

of snake in dreams denotes that the man
is being haunted by spirits, ghosts or gblins*
10. Another widespread belief in our country is
that whosoever is shaded by a living cobra
with its spread-hood, that man is sure to
win royal honours very shortly.
11. dclipses are often attributed to the efforts
of k a serpent or dragon to swallow the Sun

12. Similarly, earth-quakes are believed to have

been caused by serpents or dragons which
support the earth or swell underground and
whose movements shake the earth.

Some astrological beliefs are alio associated

with the snake-cult.

Its reference has stated as

under:ihe remainder of the total number of years of

the Salivahana 3aka with two added to it and the
whole divided by 12, stands for serpents, the great

1. Mahalingam, op.cit., p.45

2. Grooke, op.cit., p.408

3. Ibid., p.408

4. 1he Almanac system (n.p.; n.d.$ p.p.172-174

2 jC *

nagas, whose influence, good or bad tells upon the

proceedings of that year,

i'he remainders from 1

to 12 have been assigned the names of particular

nagas respectively as shown below:
1

Subudhna.

2. handasari

3. Karkotaka

4.

Prdhusrava.

5. Vasuki

6 Taksaka

7.

Kambala.

8. Asvatara

9. Hemamali

10.

Harendra

11. Vajradamstra l2.Vrsabha

ihe sway of each of the above great nagas is

as follows:
1. Subudhna exercises good influence over the
minds of the people; the crops grow well;
and there will be fine weather all through
the year.
2. Mandasari brings heavy rains and at the same
time offers pleasure to people.
3. Karkotaka causes draught and death to the
rulers during that year.
4. Prdhusrava spoils crops with the shortage of
rains for the year.
5. Vasuki offers rains in plenty and a bounteous
yield.
6. iaksaka causes an average rain fall but brings
quarrels amongst rulers in such a way as to
make them turn each against the other.

7* Xambala al30 causes an average rain fall but

crops give a good yield.
8. Asvatara arrests rainfall and spoils crops
in toto.
9* Hemamali brings in good rain and grants good
yield.
10. Narendra increases water resources on earth.
11. Vajradamstra wields an evil influence by which
draught and deadly famine dance on earth.
12. Vrsabha brings in heavy rains and less yield.
Mach of these twelve nagas preside over every
year in rotation causing good or bad as the
case may be. So says the Almanac theory.
Hitherto, we knew that the nagas have control
over space by their positions in different directions
and in different regions like sky, air, water, earth
and in the Sun.

Mow, this proves that the nagas have

command not only on space but also on time.

that they are beyond time and space.

It means

Ihis speaks for

their eternal nature.

Incidentally it needs mention here that the
belief of the Chinese in their dragon year as the
luckiest year shows some connection with the Indian
almanac system.

I'hey believe that a person born in

the year of the dragon is particularly fortunate, for

2.tCf

the dragon is a superior being and which has been

considered as one of the luckiest symbols in Chinese
art.

.Sven so with the Japanese as with the Chinese.

Q M H S:1
2

In our country, where snakes have been held as

more sacrid, their movements are deemed to be porten
tous of both good and evil depending upon its varied
movements, sometimes

it is believed to be auspicious,

and at other times as quite inauspicious.

Accordingly,

omens may be classified mainly into three categories,

(1) purely good;(2> absolutely bad, and (3) mixed or
of dual nature as follows:
G-ood omens;
1. If a snake is seen climbing up a green tree,
the beholder becomes an emperor.
2. The householder is quite certain of Setting
wealth, if he sees a snake entering into
his house*
3* If a snake, especially cobra, crosses the
beholder from left to right with its hood
spread and tail erect, it bodes good to
him.
4. If the cobra passes from left to right with
an expanded hood and without a hiss, it
signifies a sumptuous meal for the spectator.
5. If a person sees a snake crawling in front of
him, it denotes success in his attempts.
1. P.katnam, Studies of Indo-^sian culture. Vol.I, p.161
2. The Eev.J.S .Pad-field, The Hindu at home (H.h.Publish
ing Gorpn., Delhi, 19755 P* 250 & 251*

6. If a snake comes towards a person from

the right side, it predicts success.
7. If the snake expands its hood and keep
its head erect on seeing anyone, it
indicates prosperity and plenty.
8. If a farmer happens to see a snake with
head erect and hood expanded, immediately
on going to his field, it speaks of good
yield for the year. If it is seen in the
above said manner in the sowing time,
it too bodes a bounteous yield.
9. If a serpent crawls into the entrance of
a village, or if its hiss is heard on
entering a village, they are considered
as good omens.
^aiL.qmeng:
1.

The sifcht of quarrelling snakes suggests

the same to the beholder with his relatives

2.

To see two snakes making off in the same

direction forebodes poverty.

3.

The sight of a snake swallowing another

snake is a portent of famine.

4.

If a snake comes towards a person from

the left, it denotes bad.

5.

If a farmer sees a cobra crawling away on

seeing him as soon as he sets his foot
in the field, it denotes a bad crop.

6.

If a snake is seen running away from a

village, evil befalls the villageas.

7* It is bad to hear the hiss of a serpent

when on journey*
8. If a snake is seen departing a house ,
it denotes poverty to the house-holder*
Qmans of mixed natures

mmammmmmmmmmSm mmmmmrnmmmmmwmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmHtmmmmmmmmmrnm

1.

If a snake, on seeing anyone crawls into

its hole, it denotes wealth to the poor,
but poverty to the rich.

2*

If a king sees a snake climbing down a

tree, it is an indication to him of an
imminent 1 misfortune* -But the same
thing bodes good to common man*

All these speak of the human experience that stood

the time test*

***********