Ganesh mantra
ॐ गं गणपतये नमः
Om Gam Ganapataye Namah
Meaning: Om, gam: salutation to Ganapati, lord of the ganas.
When and how: At the start of the puja, 11 times.
Indha page innum Tanglish-la ezhudhala, adhanaala English-la irukku.
Shukla paksha · Shravana · amanta reckoning
When is Nag Panchami 2027?
Fri, 6 Aug
Nag Panchami 2027 is on Friday, 6 August. It is Panchami of Shukla paksha in Shravana.
2028: Wednesday, 26 July 2028
Ask Swarn
Is this muhurat good for my chart? Ask Swarn free
Friday, 6 August 2027
Nag Panchami is not a Gregorian date. It is Shukla paksha tithi 5 of Shravana in the amanta reckoning, and the Gregorian day it lands on moves by up to a month between years because twelve lunations fall about eleven days short of a solar year.
- Tithi
- Panchami, Shukla paksha
- Lunar month
- Shravana (amanta)
- Tithi begins
- 6 Aug, 2:28 AM
- Tithi ends
- 7 Aug, 12:23 AM
- Decided at
- Sunrise
- Sunrise in New Delhi
- 6 Aug, 5:45 AM
Sunrise in New Delhi falls at 5:45 AM on that day, and that is the instant the tithi has to be running at for the day to carry the observance. It is computed for this city rather than assumed, because it is what decides the date.
The two instants above are the astronomy and are not in dispute. The day is an interpretation of them: this observance is decided at sunrise, so it belongs to the day whose sunrise the tithi carries — not simply to the day the tithi begins.
Nag Panchami, the fifth day of the bright fortnight of Shravana, is the day the nagas, the serpent deities, are worshipped: families draw or set up images of the nagas, offer them milk, flowers and kheer, and pray for protection from snakebite and for the good of the household. In New Delhi it falls on Friday, 6 August 2027, and the puja muhurat is 5:45 AM to 8:25 AM, the early morning while Panchami runs. The milk is offered to the image, never to a live snake.
| Muhurat | Time in New Delhi | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Nag Panchami puja muhurat | 5:45 AM to 8:25 AMPratahkal, the first fifth of the day, while Panchami runs. | Pratahkal, the first fifth of the day, while Panchami runs: the classical morning window for the naga puja at home, at the anthill or at a naga temple. When Panchami begins later in the morning, the window opens with it. |
| Sunrise | 5:45 AMThe upper edge of the Sun on the horizon, with refraction. | The puja window is counted from sunrise in New Delhi; the bath and the drawing of the nagas on the wall are done before it opens. |
| Brahma Muhurta | 4:20 AM to 5:02 AMThe 14th of the night's fifteen muhurtas, ending one muhurta before sunrise. | The hour before dawn, for the bath and for preparing the milk, kheer and offerings. |
| Abhijit Muhurat | 12:00 PM to 12:53 PMThe 8th of the day's fifteen muhurtas, around local noon. | The midday muhurta, for families who worship at a temple later in the morning, or do a Rudrabhishek of Shiva on this Shravana day. There is no Abhijit on a Wednesday, by convention. |
| Auspicious choghadiya (day) |
| The day's Amrit, Shubh, Labh and Chal choghadiyas, for a temple visit or a puja that cannot be done in the morning window, while Panchami runs. |
Auspicious windows that day
| Window | Time in New Delhi | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Abhijit Muhurat | 12:00 PM to 12:53 PM | Auspicious |
| Amrit Kaal | 12:42 AM to 2:14 AM | Most Auspicious |
| Brahma Muhurat | 4:20 AM to 5:02 AM | Auspicious |
Windows usually worked around
These are the spans classical muhurta sets aside for beginnings. They are descriptions of a convention, not warnings: the observance is kept on its day regardless, and nothing here needs to be bought, corrected or remedied.
| Window | Time in New Delhi |
|---|---|
| Rahu Kaal | 10:46 AM to 12:26 PM |
| Yamaganda Kaal | 3:47 PM to 5:28 PM |
| Durmuhurta First | 8:25 AM to 9:19 AM |
| Durmuhurta Second | 12:53 PM to 1:47 PM |
| Varjyam | 3:33 PM to 5:05 PM |
Every time above is computed for New Delhi around Friday, 6 August 2027, from the sunrise, sunset and the positions of the Sun and Moon for this city. The Vedic day runs sunrise to sunrise, so a window whose clock time falls after midnight still belongs to the evening before; a time on another date carries that date.
Bathe and keep the day
Bathe early and wear clean clothes. Many keep a fast or eat once, and in many homes the day's kitchen follows its own rules, given below.
Draw or set up the nagas
On both sides of the main door or on a clean wall, draw serpent figures with turmeric, sandalwood paste, cow dung or charcoal, or set a picture, a clay or a small silver image of the nagas on a chowki. In the South families worship at a snake anthill (valmika) or at the stone naga images under a peepal tree.
Ganesh first, then the sankalp
Worship Ganesh with Om Gam Ganapataye Namah. Hold water, rice and a flower and resolve to worship the naga devatas on Shravana Shukla Panchami for the protection and well-being of the family.
Worship the nagas
Offer water and a little milk to the image or the drawing, then haldi, roli, akshat, flowers, durva and a mauli thread. Light a ghee lamp and incense.
The naivedya
Offer kheer, puri, roasted gram, soaked moong, puffed rice (lahya) and fruit. These are offered to the image; the milk and food are later given to people, cows or birds, not poured into burrows.
Recite the nine naga names
Recite the Nava Naga Stotram, which names Ananta, Vasuki, Shesha, Padmanabha, Kambala, Shankhapala, Dhritarashtra, Takshaka and Kaliya, and pray that the household stays free from the fear of snakes.
Shiva in Shravana
Because the nagas are Shiva's ornaments and Shravana is his month, many pour water and milk on a Shivling with Om Namah Shivaya and offer bel leaves, or hold a Rudrabhishek on this day.
Hear the katha
Read or tell the Nag Panchami stories: Astika, who saved the serpents from Janamejaya's sacrifice, and the farmer's family restored by the mother serpent.
Aarti
Wave the lamp before the nagas and Shiva, sing a bhajan or aarti of your family, and ask pardon for any mistake.
Keep the customs of the day
Many families do not dig, plough or uproot plants on Nag Panchami, so as not to disturb the snakes' homes, and in many homes no iron griddle (tava) goes on the fire. If you see a snake, leave it alone, keep children away, and call a trained rescuer if it is inside the house.
- Picture, clay or silver image of the nagas Or a drawing of serpents on the wall by the main door.
- Turmeric, sandalwood paste, cow dung or charcoal For drawing the nagas on the wall.
- A small bowl of milk Offered to the image, a few drops on the drawing; never to a live snake.
- Water in a lota For the offering and achaman.
- Haldi, roli and akshat For the tilak and the offerings.
- Flowers and durva grass Any fresh flowers of the season.
- Mauli (kalava) Offered as a thread to the naga image.
- Ghee lamp, wicks, incense and camphor For the puja and the aarti.
- Kheer The classic naivedya of the day.
- Puri Made instead of rotis in homes that keep the tava off the fire.
- Roasted gram and soaked moong Traditional offerings to the nagas.
- Puffed rice or jowar (lahya) Offered with milk in Maharashtra.
- Seasonal fruits Banana, cucumber or what the season brings.
- Bel leaves and a lota for the Shivling For Shiva's abhishek.
- Chowki and a cloth For the image, if you do not draw on the wall.
- A katha book Optional; the stories are given above.
Nava Naga Stotram
अनन्तं वासुकिं शेषं पद्मनाभं च कम्बलम् ।
शङ्खपालं धृतराष्ट्रं तक्षकं कालियं तथा ॥
एतानि नव नामानि नागानां च महात्मनाम् ।
सायङ्काले पठेन्नित्यं प्रातःकाले विशेषतः ।
तस्य विषभयं नास्ति सर्वत्र विजयी भवेत् ॥
Anantam Vasukim Shesham Padmanabham cha Kambalam
Shankhapalam Dhritarashtram Takshakam Kaliyam tatha
Etani nava namani naganam cha mahatmanam
Sayankale pathen nityam pratahkale visheshatah
Tasya vishabhayam nasti sarvatra vijayi bhavet
Meaning: Ananta, Vasuki, Shesha, Padmanabha, Kambala, Shankhapala, Dhritarashtra, Takshaka and Kaliya: these are the nine names of the great-souled nagas. One who recites them every evening, and above all in the morning, has no fear of poison and is victorious everywhere.
When and how: Recited once or three times during the naga puja, as the traditional verse of Nag Panchami; the promise in its last line is the tradition's, not a substitute for care around snakes.
Shiva panchakshari
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
Meaning: Om, salutation to Shiva. The words namah shivaya come from the Shri Rudram of the Yajurveda.
When and how: While pouring water and milk on the Shivling, 11 or 108 times.
The katha
The Mahabharata tells how King Janamejaya, to avenge his father Parikshit, who had died of the serpent Takshaka's bite, held a great snake sacrifice in which serpents from everywhere were drawn into the fire. The young sage Astika, son of the sage Jaratkaru and of the naga maiden of the same name, came to the sacrifice, pleased the king with his wisdom and, when offered a boon, asked that the sacrifice be stopped. The nagas were saved, and popular tradition holds that it happened on Shravana Shukla Panchami, which is why they are worshipped on this day and bless those who remember Astika.
The folk katha told in homes is of a farmer who, ploughing his field, killed the young of a mother serpent without knowing it. In her grief and anger the serpent bit the farmer's family. His daughter, who had been spared, learned what had happened, set out a bowl of milk with folded hands and begged the serpent's forgiveness; moved, the serpent forgave the family and restored them. That, the story says, is why no one digs or ploughs on Nag Panchami and why the nagas are worshipped with milk.
Krishna's subduing of Kaliya is remembered too: the many-headed serpent was poisoning the Yamuna at Vrindavan, and the boy Krishna danced on his hoods until he yielded, then sent him away to the sea, as the Bhagavata Purana tells. The nagas are also honoured as Shiva's ornaments, with Vasuki around his neck, and as Shesha, on whom Vishnu rests.
Why it is kept
Nag Panchami comes in Shravana, at the height of the monsoon, when rain floods the snakes' burrows and drives them close to homes and fields. The festival turns that fear into reverence: the nagas are worshipped as guardians of the waters, the soil and the household, and the day's customs, no digging, no ploughing, no harm to snakes, are a way of living alongside them. Tradition prays for freedom from snakebite; modern care adds that snakes eat rodents that would otherwise spoil the harvest.
Snakes cannot digest milk, and those shown by snake charmers are caught and kept hungry, which is cruel and illegal under India's Wildlife (Protection) Act. The worship belongs to the image, the drawing, the anthill or the temple; the kindest offering to a living snake is to leave it alone.
Milk for the image, kindness for the snake
Offer milk to the naga image or drawing and later give it to someone who can drink it. Tradition holds that the nagas are pleased by reverence, and no living snake is harmed by it.
The nine names
Recite the Nava Naga Stotram in the morning and evening of Nag Panchami; it is the traditional prayer against the fear of snakes.
Rudrabhishek in Shravana
Pour water and milk on a Shivling, or join a Rudrabhishek; Shiva, who wears the serpent, is worshipped with the nagas throughout Shravana.
Leave the earth undisturbed
Do not dig, plough or clear undergrowth on the day, as farming families have done for generations.
Help snakes in trouble
Support a local wildlife rescue group, or save the number of a trained snake rescuer, so that a snake found in a house is moved safely rather than killed.
The kaal sarp question
Families who have been told of a kaal sarp yoga in a horoscope often hold a shanti puja on Nag Panchami at temples such as Trimbakeshwar and Ujjain. It is an astrological custom, not a scriptural requirement; there is no need for fear or for costly rituals, and a simple Shiva puja at home keeps the same prayer.
Do
- Worship the nagas in the morning muhurat while Panchami runs.
- Offer milk, flowers and kheer to the image, the drawing or the anthill.
- Recite the nine naga names and Om Namah Shivaya.
- Follow your family's kitchen customs for the day, such as puri instead of rotis.
- Keep children away from any snake, and call a trained rescuer if one enters the house.
- Visit a naga temple, or a Shiva temple, in the Shravana spirit of the day.
Don't
- Do not feed milk to live snakes; they cannot digest it.
- Do not pay snake charmers or buy snakes to worship; it is cruel and illegal.
- Do not dig, plough or uproot plants on the day, by tradition.
- Do not kill or chase a snake; leave it alone or call a rescuer.
- Do not pour milk into burrows or anthills in a way that floods them.
- Do not let anyone frighten you with talk of a snake curse; tradition is about reverence, not fear.
By region
- Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
- The Nagchandreshwar temple, on the upper floor of the Mahakaleshwar temple, opens only on Nag Panchami, and devotees queue through the night for its one day of darshan.
- Maharashtra
- Women swing on zokas and sing Nag Panchami songs; nagoba is offered milk and lahya, and many homes do not chop, fry or roast on the day. Battis Shirala in Sangli, once known for processions with live cobras, now celebrates with images after court orders to protect the snakes.
- Goa and the Konkan
- Patolya, rice-and-coconut dumplings steamed in turmeric leaves, are made and offered on Nag Panchami.
- Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
- Akharas hold wrestling bouts, and in parts of Uttar Pradesh girls make cloth dolls (gudiya) that are beaten with sticks at ponds and crossroads, a folk custom explained by local legends. In many homes no tava goes on the fire.
- Karnataka
- Nagara Panchami: women worship the anthill (huttha) and the stone naga images (nagakallu) with milk and sweets.
- Gujarat
- Nag Pancham is kept on a different day, Shravana Krishna Panchami in the amanta reckoning, during the festive week before Janmashtami, with nagas drawn on the wall and worshipped.
- Bengal and Assam
- The snake goddess Manasa is worshipped through the rains, with her main puja at the end of Shravana; Nag Panchami itself is kept by fewer households.
Bhog, prasad and fasting food
- Kheer The naivedya of the day, offered to the nagas and shared.
- Puri, dal and rice Cooked instead of rotis in homes that keep the tava off the fire.
- Roasted gram and soaked moong Offered to the nagas and eaten as prasad.
- Lahya with milk Puffed rice or jowar, Maharashtra's offering to nagoba.
- Patolya Goa and Konkan's sweet dumplings steamed in turmeric leaves.
- Steamed and boiled dishes Many Maharashtrian homes avoid frying and roasting on the day.
Two years back, this year, and two ahead. Past years are kept rather than dropped so you can check the engine against a calendar you already have.
| Year | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Friday, 9 August 2024 | past |
| 2025 | Tuesday, 29 July 2025 | past |
| 2026This year | Monday, 17 August 2026 | past |
| 2027 | Friday, 6 August 2027 | upcoming |
| 2028 | Wednesday, 26 July 2028 | upcoming |
Every row is computed for New Delhi from the same ephemeris, not looked up. Sunrise decides which day a tithi names, and sunrise differs across India by more than an hour, so a date computed for Delhi can be a day out elsewhere.
There is no single authority that settles a Hindu festival date, and the divergence is genuine rather than sloppy. Three causes account for almost all of it.
- A tithi rarely starts at sunrise. One that is running at the deciding moment on two days — or on none — is claimed by both days under different rules.
- Month reckoning. North India runs purnimanta, the south and west amanta. The same dark fortnight carries different month names in the two, so an observance defined as "krishna X of month Y" can land a full lunation apart.
- Which moment decides. Most vratas belong to the day whose sunrise carries the tithi, but not all: this one is decided at sunrise. Almanacs that apply the sunrise rule to everything move several festivals by a day.
So this page shows its working. If your pandit or your family almanac gives a different day, the instants above will usually show you exactly why — and that is more useful than a date asserted without one.
Common questions
When is Nag Panchami?
Friday, 6 August 2027. It is Panchami of Shukla paksha in Shravana, and that tithi runs from 6 Aug, 2:28 AM to 7 Aug, 12:23 AM.
Why does another calendar give a different Nag Panchami date?
Three honest reasons. The tithi can be running at the deciding moment on two days or on none. North India reckons the month purnimanta and the south and west amanta, which names the same krishna fortnight differently. And almanacs differ on which moment of the day decides an observance. The instants above are the astronomy; the day is an interpretation of them.
When is Nag Panchami, and what is the puja muhurat?
In New Delhi, Nag Panchami falls on Friday, 6 August 2027, Shravana Shukla Panchami. The puja muhurat is 5:45 AM to 8:25 AM: pratahkal, the first fifth of the day, while Panchami runs. Panchami itself runs 2:27 AM to 12:23 AM (7 Aug), so those who cannot worship in the morning can do it later while it lasts.
Why is Nag Panchami celebrated?
To worship the nagas, the serpent deities, as guardians of the waters, the earth and the household, and to pray for protection from snakebite in the monsoon, when snakes come close to homes. Tradition links the day to Astika, who saved the serpents from King Janamejaya's sacrifice, and to Krishna's victory over Kaliya.
How is the Nag Panchami puja done at home?
Bathe, draw serpent figures by the main door with turmeric, sandalwood or cow dung, or set up a naga image. Worship Ganesh, take a sankalp, then offer water and a little milk to the image with haldi, roli, akshat, flowers and durva, offer kheer, puri and roasted gram, recite the nine naga names, worship Shiva, hear the katha and do the aarti, in the morning muhurat 5:45 AM to 8:25 AM.
Which mantra is chanted on Nag Panchami?
The Nava Naga Stotram, which names nine great serpents, Ananta, Vasuki, Shesha, Padmanabha, Kambala, Shankhapala, Dhritarashtra, Takshaka and Kaliya, and promises freedom from the fear of poison to one who recites it. Om Namah Shivaya is chanted while worshipping Shiva. The texts and meanings are in the mantra section.
What is the katha of Nag Panchami?
Two stories are told. In the Mahabharata, the young sage Astika persuades King Janamejaya to stop the snake sacrifice that was destroying the serpents. In the folk katha, a farmer unknowingly kills a serpent's young while ploughing, the mother serpent bites his family, and his daughter's prayer and offering of milk win her forgiveness and their lives. Both are given in full above.
Should milk be given to live snakes on Nag Panchami?
No. Snakes cannot digest milk, and the snakes snake charmers bring are caught, defanged and starved, which is cruel and illegal under the Wildlife (Protection) Act. Offer the milk to the naga image, the drawing or a temple; the kindest thing to do for a living snake is to leave it alone.
What should not be done on Nag Panchami?
By tradition, no digging, ploughing or uprooting plants; in many homes no tava on the fire and no frying or chopping. Above all, do not harm, chase or feed live snakes, do not pay snake charmers, and do not flood anthills or burrows with milk.
Why are rotis not made, or the tava not used, on Nag Panchami?
It is a folk custom of many North Indian homes: the iron griddle is kept off the fire on Nag Panchami, a belief often linked to its shape resembling a serpent's hood, so puri, dal and rice are made instead. In Maharashtra many households avoid frying and chopping for a similar reason. Follow your family's custom; it is not a scriptural rule.
Is there an aarti for Nag Panchami?
There is no single scriptural aarti for the nagas. Families wave the lamp before the naga image as the aarti and sing a folk Nag Devta aarti or Shiva's aarti, since the nagas are his ornaments. The Nava Naga Stotram is the traditional recitation of the day.
How is the Nag Panchami fast kept?
Many keep a fast or eat once after the puja, a sattvik meal of kheer, puri and seasonal food. There is no fixed rule of nirjala fasting for the day; those who are unwell, pregnant or elderly can keep it with fruit and milk, or simply do the puja.
What food is made on Nag Panchami?
Kheer above all, with puri, dal and rice in homes that keep the tava off the fire, roasted gram and soaked moong as offerings, lahya with milk in Maharashtra, and patolya, rice dumplings steamed in turmeric leaves, in Goa and the Konkan.
When does the Nagchandreshwar temple in Ujjain open?
Only on Nag Panchami: the temple on the upper floor of the Mahakaleshwar complex opens for a single day of darshan, from the night before, and devotees queue for hours. The temple administration announces the timings each year.
What is the Battis Shirala Nag Panchami?
Battis Shirala, a village in Sangli district of Maharashtra, was famous for its Nag Panchami processions with live cobras. After court orders to protect the snakes, the processions with live cobras stopped, and the festival continues with images of the nagas, worship and fairs.
Is Nag Panchami on the same day in Gujarat?
No. Gujarat keeps Nag Pancham on Shravana Krishna Panchami in the amanta reckoning, during the festive week just before Janmashtami, roughly two weeks after the Nag Panchami on this page. The worship of nagas drawn on the wall is much the same.
Can women and pregnant women do the Nag Panchami puja?
Yes. In most homes it is the women who draw the nagas and do the puja. A pregnant woman can do the whole puja sitting comfortably and skip any strict fast; she should simply keep away from real snakes and crowded temple queues.