Nag Panchami in 2017: The festival of Nag Panchami is being celebrated in several part of India. States like Rajasthan and West Bengal are celebrating the day as Nag Panchami of the Krishna Paksha, while the Nagpanchami of the Shukla Paksha will be celebrated on July 27, according to a jatsatta.com report today. The Nagpanchamis of Shukla paksha and Krishna Paksha are dedicated to Nag Devta, because of which these two days are dedicated to Nagpanchami. The report said that according to a mythological story, Lord Krishna defeated the nag during the Shukla Paksha in the month of Savan in Vrindavan, saving lives of the people.
Many people also keep fast on these two days. As per Gurur Puran, those who keep fast on this day, design a picture of Nag with the help of cow dung and then decorate them with wheat or mud. After this, the puja is conducted with flowers, milk and other items, as nag devta is considered the lord of pancham tithi, according to jansatta.com. After the puja is over, devotees distribute prasad.
According to the report, there is also a story related to this festival. As per it, Lord Brahma created sheshnag on this day, after this person on the earth started offering prayers. Since this day, the festival of Nag Panchami is celebrated.
As per some pandits, our ancestors take avatar in the form of snakes. Due to this, people worship nag devtas in many parts of the country too, the report added.