NAGAPANCHAMI : The Snake Festival

On the fifth day of the bright half of Shravan, Nagapanchami the festival of snakes is celebrated. Snake worship is more common in peninsular India than in the north. In Maharashtra, snake charmers go from house to house with dormant cobras ensconced in cane baskets, asking for alms and clothing. Women offer milk and cooked rice to the snakes and gather around to see the snakes spread their hoods to the tune of the pungi, a peculiar wind instrument, played by professional snake catchers. Clay snakes are brought home to be worshipped by day and immersed in the sea in the evening In Maharasthra, this festival heralds the arrival of Ganesha, almost exactly one month later. Tourists from around the world converge on a little village in south Maharashtra - Battis Shirala - for this festival. Here the world's largest collection of snakes can be seen.