The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements: māsa (lunar month), pakṣa (lunar fortnight) and tithi (lunar day).
76-433: Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz. amānta / pūrṇimānta . If a festival falls in the waning phase of the moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa. Naga Panchami ( Sanskrit : नागपञ्चमी, IAST : Nāgapañcamī ) is a day of traditional worship of naga s (or najas or nags) or snakes (which are associated with
152-628: A chhatri . Every year on Naga Panchami day a fair is held at the temple premises. In the Sindhi community Naga Panchami is celebrated in honour of Gogro . In eastern and north eastern States of India such as West Bengal ,Jharkhand Orissa and Assam , the goddess is worshipped as Manasa . According to the Hindu mythology , Manasa is a snake goddess who was also called Jaratkaru and wife of Brahmin sage also named Jaratkaru. On this occasion, sh twig of manasa so sale plant (euphorbia lingularum) symbolizing
228-562: A boon. It was then that Astika requested Janamejeya to stop the Sarpa Satra. Since the king was never known to refuse a boon given to a Brahmin, he relented, in spite of protects by the rishis performing the yagna. The yagna was then stopped and thus the life of Indra and Takshaka and his other serpent race were spared. This day, according to the Hindu Calendar, happened to be Nadivardhini Panchami (fifth day of bright fortnight of
304-554: A giant snake; people collect the sweat and use it for curing leprosy . Nepali diaspora communities have also taken the ritual outside of Nepal to different countries of their settlement. Sindhis , ethnic group found predominantly in Pakistan, celebrate Naga Panchami by honouring Gogro , a mythical character that protects against snake bites. Traditional Hindu calendar#amanta Traditional The Hindu calendar , also called Panchanga ( Sanskrit : पञ्चाङ्ग ),
380-522: A lunar system. The Buddhist calendar and the traditional lunisolar calendars of Cambodia , Laos , Myanmar , Sri Lanka and Thailand are also based on an older version of the Hindu calendar. Similarly, the ancient Jain traditions have followed the same lunisolar system as the Hindu calendar for festivals, texts and inscriptions. However, the Buddhist and Jain timekeeping systems have attempted to use
456-457: A number of systems of which intercalary months became most used, that is adding another month every 32.5 months on average. As their calendar keeping and astronomical observations became more sophisticated, the Hindu calendar became more sophisticated with complex rules and greater accuracy. According to Scott Montgomery, the Siddhanta tradition at the foundation of Hindu calendars predate
532-487: A peace-loving king as well. Takshaka, disguised as a beggar, stole the earrings of Paushya king's queen, which she had given as a gift to a Brahmin named Uttanka. Uttanka managed to get it back with the help of others. He wished to revenge on Takshaka and proceeded towards Hastinapura , the capital of Kuru king Janamejaya, the great-grandson of Arjuna. Uttanka then waited upon King Janamejaya who had some time before returned victorious from Takshashila. Uttanka reminded
608-506: A priest in the Kasyapa clan, who was an expert in curing people from snake-poisoning (1,43). Later King Janamejaya , the son of Parikshit, fought a war at Takshasila (1,3) and expelled the Nagas headed by Takshaka from there too. Utanka soon became another victim while he was passing through the domain of Takshaka. By visiting Janamejaya, Utanka invoked the ire of that Kuru king, which
684-597: A rudimentary level. Later medieval era texts such as the Yavana-jataka and the Siddhanta texts are more astrology-related. Hinduism and Buddhism were the prominent religions of southeast Asia in the 1st millennium CE, prior to the Islamic conquest that started in the 14th century. The Hindus prevailed in Bali, Indonesia, and they have two types of Hindu calendar. One is a 210-day based Pawukon calendar which likely
760-525: A similar manner to the Christian era . There are several samvat found in historic Buddhist, Hindu and Jain texts and epigraphy, of which three are most significant: Vikrama era, Old Shaka era and Shaka era of 78 CE. The Hindu calendar divides the zodiac into twelve division called rāśi ("group"). The Sun appears to move around the Earth through different divisions/constellations in the sky throughout
836-672: A thread dipped in turmeric is tied on the right wrist of the brother. After that a feast is served. The ritual is widely observed in Nepal, particularly for the fight between Garuda and a great serpent. In the Changu Narayan Temple in Kathmandu , there is statue of Garuda which is said to have been established by Garuda himself and on the Naga Panchami day the image is said to sweat reminiscing his great fight with
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#1732797281017912-579: A view to obtaining the chiefship of the serpents (1,3). He was 4th king of Kamyaka . According to the Shrimad Bhagavatam , Takshaka belonged to the Ikshvaku dynasty . He was a descendant of Rama . The name of Takshaka's son was Brihadbala , who was killed in battle by Abhimanyu , the son of Arjuna . Takshaka lived in the Khandava forest (1,225). Nagas lived there with other tribes like
988-597: Is a pre-Hindu system, and another is similar to lunisolar calendar system found in South India and it is called the Balinese saka calendar which uses Hindu methodology. The names of month and festivals of Balinese Hindus, for the most part, are different, though the significance and legends have some overlap. The Hindu calendar is based on a geocentric model of the Solar System . A large part of this calendar
1064-421: Is also celebrated as Vishari Puja or Bishari Puja in some parts of the country and Bisha or Visha means "poison". Apart from the scriptural mention about snakes and the festival, there are also many folktales. One such tale is of a farmer living in a village. He had two sons and one of whom killed three snakes during ploughing operations. The mother of the snake took revenge on the same night by biting
1140-672: Is also found in the Hebrew calendar , the Chinese calendar , and the Babylonian calendar , but different from the Gregorian calendar. Unlike the Gregorian calendar which adds additional days to the month to adjust for the mismatch between twelve lunar cycles (354 lunar days) and approximately 365 solar days, the Hindu calendar maintains the integrity of the lunar month, but inserts an extra full month, once every 32–33 months, to ensure that
1216-456: Is believed snakes represent virility and have the gift of inducing fecundity curing barrenness. In Coorg in Karnataka , an ancestral platform called noka is installed with rough stones which are believed to be the ancestral incarnation in the form of snakes but they are not necessarily worshipped on Naga Panchami day. In Kerala , Ezhavas and Nairs are Serpent-worshipers. A shrine
1292-463: Is celebrated all over North India . In Kashmir , from historical times snakes have been worshipped by Hindus, and the places of worship are reported as 700. In north western India, in cities such as Benares , it is the time when Akharas (venues of wrestling practice and competitions) as part of Naga Panchami celebrations are bedecked; on this occasion the ahkaras are cleaned up thoroughly and walls painted with images of snakes, priests preside, and
1368-408: Is celebrated in a different month and in a different format, in the month of Bhadra (September–October) and is called Guga Nauvami (ninth day of lunar month during bright half of Moon). On this occasion an image of snake is made with dough and kept in a “winnowing basket” and taken round the village. Villagers offer flour and butter as oblation to the image. At the end of the parade, the snake
1444-601: Is defined based on the movement of the Sun and the Moon around the Earth (saura māna and cāndra māna respectively). Furthermore, it includes synodic , sidereal , and tropical elements. Many variants of the Hindu calendar have been created by including and excluding these elements (solar, lunar, lunisolar etc.) and are in use in different parts of India. Samvat refers to era of the several Hindu calendar systems in Nepal and India , in
1520-692: Is formally buried and women worship the snake for nine days and give offering of curds . As in the rest of the country, the Naga Panchmi is celebrated in Western India and is known as the Ketarpal or Kshetrapal , meaning, a protector of his domain. In this part of the country, snake is named Bhujang , which is also the Sanskrit name for snake, in the Kutch region. The name is attributed to
1596-454: Is it is open only one day of the year on Naga Panchami day and remains shut on the rest of the year. The murthy of Nagachandreshwar is unique with Shiva and Parvati seated on ten hooded snake surrounded by Nandhi Ganesha and other murthies. It is believed that the great snake Taksha lives here and praying during Naga Panchami rids the devotee of various afflications and doshas such as Naga Dosha, Sarpa Dosha and any form of Doshas. Naga Panchami
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#17327972810171672-662: Is mentioned as a King of the Nagas at (1,3). Takshaka is mentioned as the friend of Indra, the king of gods, at (1-225,227,230). Takshaka, formerly dwelt in Kurukshetra and the forest of Khandava (modern-day Delhi ) (1,3). Takshaka and Ashvasena were constant companions who lived in Kurukshetra on the banks of the Ikshumati (1,3). Srutasena, the younger brother of Takshaka, resided at the holy place called Mahadyumna with
1748-545: Is normally established for snake god at the southwest corner of the ancestral house, along with temple for the para-devata. . For Naga Panchami day, Women fast the previous day. They then on the Naga Panchami Day, take bath at dawn and pray at the tharavad Sarpa kavu. They take the Thirtham milk home. A Chembarathi (Hibiscus) flower is dipped in the milk and sprinkled on the brother's back and then do an arthi. Then
1824-451: Is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia , with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a similar underlying concept for timekeeping based on sidereal year for solar cycle and adjustment of lunar cycles in every three years, but differ in their relative emphasis to moon cycle or
1900-524: Is where worship is offered on Naga Panchami day; the temple was found under the neem tree known as “Nagaoba ka vota", under a platform. Another important event held on this occasion is an arduous trekking pilgrimage known as Nagadwar Yatra to Pachmarhi . On this occasion food prepared as offering to the snake god is cooked in a kadai . This is a sub temple located in the third floor of Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple in Ujjain. The speciality of this shrine
1976-549: The Bhagavata Purana . He is described to be a king of the Nagas and one of the sons of Kadru . Takshaka are also known in Chinese and Japanese mythology as being one of the "eight Great Dragon Kings" (八大龍王 Hachi-dai Ryuu-ou), they are the only snakes which can fly and also mentioned as the most venomous snakes, amongst Nanda (Nagaraja), Upananda, Sagara (Shakara), Vasuki, Balavan, Anavatapta and Utpala. Takshaka
2052-572: The Chinese language in the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, and the Rigvedic passages on astronomy are found in the works of Zhu Jiangyan and Zhi Qian . According to Subhash Kak , the beginning of the Hindu calendar was much earlier. He cites Greek historians describing Maurya kings referring to a calendar which originated in 6676 BCE known as Saptarsi calendar. The Vikrami calendar is named after king Vikramaditya and starts in 57 BCE. Hindu scholars kept precise time by observing and calculating
2128-550: The Mahabharata epic, the sage Astika stops King Janamejaya from sacrificing and eventually decimating the serpent race ( Sarpa Satra ). This sacrifice was performed by Janamejaya to avenge the death of his father Parikshita , who was killed by Takshaka , the king of the snakes. The day that the sacrifice was stopped was on the Shukla Paksha Panchami day in the month of Shravana. During this sacrifice,
2204-592: The Pisachas , Rakshasas and Daityas and Danavas (clans of Asuras ) (1,227). Arjuna burned that forest at the behest of Agni. At that time the Naga chief Takshaka was not there, having gone to Kurukshetra . But Ashvasena, the mighty son of Takshaka, was there. Arjuna slew Takshaka's wife, the mother of Ashvasena. But Ashvasena escaped (1-229,230) (4,2). To revenge upon the slaughter of his mother, Ashvasena attacked Arjuna during Kurukshetra War (8,90) (9,61), while he
2280-403: The gandiva bow in it. When Parikshit was cursed by a sage's son to die by a snake bite for insulting his father, Takshaka came to fulfil the curse. Takshaka did the deed by approaching in disguise (1,50) and biting Parikshit, the grandson of Arjuna and thus slaying him, while he was meditating on Lord Vishnu . He also prevented the possibility of getting any medical aid to the king, by bribing
2356-493: The gurus are honoured along with the sponsors. Its significance is that the wrestlers stand for virility and Naga symbolizes this “scheme of virility”. Akharas are decorated with snake images showing snakes drinking milk. In Narasinghgarh akhara in Varanasi there is special shrine dedicated to Naga Raja (King of Snakes) where a bowl is suspended above the image of the snake and milk is poured into it so that it trickle over
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2432-504: The pooja , a food feast is held. In South India, both sculpted and live snakes are worshipped. Every village has a serpent deity. It is worshipped as a single snake or nine snakes called Nava Naga but the popular form is of two snakes in the form of an “ Aesculapian rod ”. Every worshipper in South India worships the anthill where the snakes are reported to reside. Women decorate the anthill with turmeric paste and vermillion and sugar mixed with wheat flour. They bedeck it with flowers with
2508-570: The Buddha and the Mahavira's lifetimes as their reference points. The Hindu calendar is also important to the practice of Hindu astrology and zodiac system. It is also employed for observing the auspicious days of deities and occasions of fasting, such as Ekadashi . Time keeping [The current year] minus one, multiplied by twelve, multiplied by two, added to the elapsed [half months of current year], increased by two for every sixty [in
2584-603: The Christian era, once had 18 texts of which only 5 have survived into the modern era. These texts provide specific information and formulae on motions of Sun, Moon and planets, to predict their future relative positions, equinoxes, rise and set, with corrections for prograde, retrograde motions, as well as parallax. These ancient scholars attempted to calculate their time to the accuracy of a truti (29.63 microseconds). In their pursuit of accurate tracking of relative movements of celestial bodies for their calendar, they had computed
2660-668: The Mahabharata as a whole was first narrated by the sage, Vaisampayana . That day has since been observed as Naga Panchami. Panchami is the fifth day among the fifteen days of the moon's waxing and/or waning. This special day of the serpent worship always falls on the fifth day of the moon's waning in the Lunar Hindu month of Shravana July/August. Hence this is called Naga Panchami (Naga: cobra; or simply, serpent). There are many legends in Hinduism and folklore narrated to
2736-626: The Malayalam calendar broadly retains the phonetic Sanskrit names, the Bengali and Tamil calendars repurpose the Sanskrit lunar month names (Chaitra, Vaishaka etc.) as follows: The solar months ( rāśi ) along with their equivalent names in the Bangali, Malayalam and Tamil calendar are given below: or ଭାଦ୍ର (Bhādra) (Tai) or ଫଗୁଣ (Phaguṇa) (Māsi) The solar months ( rāśi ) along with
2812-711: The Sun towards north for 6 months, and south for 6 months. Time keeping was important to Vedic rituals, and Jyotisha was the Vedic era field of tracking and predicting the movements of astronomical bodies in order to keep time, in order to fix the day and time of these rituals. This study is one of the six ancient Vedangas , or ancillary science connected with the Vedas – the scriptures of Vedic Sanatan Sanskriti. Yukio Ohashi states that this Vedanga field developed from actual astronomical studies in ancient Vedic Period. The texts of Vedic Jyotisha sciences were translated into
2888-519: The anthill as a libation to the snake god. On this occasion doorways and walls outside the house are painted with pictures of snakes, auspicious mantras (spells) are also written on them. It is believed that such depictions will ward off poisonous snakes. Naga Panchami is also the occasion observed as Bhratru Panchami when women with brothers worship snakes and its holes, and offer prayers to propitiate Naga so that their brothers are protected and do not suffer or die due to snake bite. Naga Panchami
2964-418: The approximate correspondence to Hindu seasons and Gregorian months are: Meṣa ♈ Mid May ( Spring ) [sõ:tʰ] Mithuna ♊ Mid July ( Summer ) [greʃim] Siṃha ♌ Mid Sep ( Monsoon ) [wəhraːtʰ] Tulā Takshaka Takshaka ( Sanskrit : तक्षक , Takṣaka ) is a Nagaraja in Hinduism and Buddhism . He is mentioned in the Hindu epic Mahabharata as well as in
3040-486: The carrier of Vishnu . Naga Panchami is also a day when Akhara , traditional Indian wrestling gyms, hold special celebrations to honor the mystical symbolism of the snake as a symbol of virility and kundalini energy. Indian scriptures such as Agni Purana , Skanda Purana , Narada Purana and the Mahabharata give details of history of snakes extolling worship of snakes. In the Mahabharata epic, Janamejaya ,
3116-447: The characteristics of the respective planetary motion. Other texts such as Surya Siddhanta dated to have been completed sometime between the 5th century and 10th century present their chapters on various deified planets with stories behind them. The manuscripts of these texts exist in slightly different versions. They present Surya, planet-based calculations and Surya's relative motion to Earth. These vary in their data, suggesting that
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3192-513: The city of Bhuj which is located below the hill named Bhujiya, after Bhujang, as it was the abode of snakes. On top of this hill there is a fort known as the Bhujia Fort where a temple has been built for the snake god and a second temple is at the foot of the hill known as Nani Devi. Bhujia Fort was the scene of a major battle between Deshalji I , the ruler of Kutch and Sher Buland Khan, Mughal Viceroy of Gujarat who had invaded Kutch. It
3268-609: The cobra and its worship throughout the country by Hindus. Snake has connotation with the Moon ’s nodes known in Hindu astrology . The head of the snake is represented by Rahu ("Dragon's head") and its tail by Ketu ("Dragon's tail"). If in the zodiacal chart of an individual all the seven major planets are hemmed between Rahu and Ketu in the reverse order (anticlockwise) it is said to denote Kalasarpa dosha (Defect due to black snakes), which forebodes ill luck and hardship in an individual's life and therefore appeased by offering worship to
3344-476: The cycles of Surya (the Sun), Moon and the planets. These calculations about the Sun appear in various astronomical texts in Sanskrit , such as the 5th-century Aryabhatiya by Aryabhata , the 6th-century Romaka by Latadeva and Panca Siddhantika by Varahamihira, the 7th-century Khandakhadyaka by Brahmagupta and the 8th-century Sisyadhivrddida by Lalla. These texts present Surya and various planets and estimate
3420-408: The dark half ( Krishna Paksha ) of the same month. As part of the festivities, a Naga or serpent deity made of silver, stone, wood, or a painting is given a reverential bath with milk and their blessings are sought for the welfare of the family. Live snakes, especially cobras , are also worshipped on this day, especially with offerings of milk and generally with the assistance of a snake charmer . In
3496-444: The earth is taboo as it could kill or harm snakes which reside in the earth. In some regions of the country milk is offered along with crystallized sugar, rice pudding . A special feature is of offering a lotus flower which is placed in a silver bowl. In front of this bowl, a rangoli (coloured design pattern) of snake is created on the floor with a brush made of wood or clay or silver or gold with sandalwood or turmeric paste as
3572-462: The farmer, his wife and two children and they all died. The following day the farmer's only surviving daughter, distraught and grieved by the death of her parents and brothers, pleaded before the mother snake with an offering of a bowl of milk and requested for forgiveness and to restore the life of her parents and brothers. Pleased with this offering the snake pardoned them and restored the farmer and his family to life. In folklore, snakes also refer to
3648-401: The festival day of Panchami . Girls offer prayers to the images made out of white clay painted with white dots. They take a vow by tying a thread dipped in turmeric paste on their right wrist and offer prayers. An image of snake is drawn on the floor in front of the house and milk is offered as oblation. On the night previous to the festival they keep complete fast or take a salt free diet. After
3724-546: The festivals and crop-related rituals fall in the appropriate season. The Hindu calendars have been in use in the Indian subcontinent since Vedic times, and remain in use by the Hindus all over the world, particularly to set Hindu festival dates. Early Buddhist communities of India adopted the ancient Vedic calendar,later Vikrami calendar and then local Buddhist calendars . Buddhist festivals continue to be scheduled according to
3800-494: The force of the sacrificial yagna was so powerful that even Indra along with Takshaka were dragged towards the fire. This scared the gods who then appealed to Manasadevi to intervene and resolve the crisis. She then requested her son Astika to go to the site of the yagna and appeal to Janamejaya to stop the Sarpa Satra yagna. Astika impressed Janamejaya with his knowledge of all the Sastras (scriptures) who granted him to seek
3876-419: The fort, at one corner, there is a small square tower dedicated to Bhujang Naga (snake god), who in folklore is said to have been the brother of SheshNaga . It is said Bhujang Naga came from Than of Kathiawar and freed Kutch from the oppression of demons known as daityas and rakshasas . The Snake Temple was also built at the time of the fortification of the hill during Deshalji I's reign and provided with
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#17327972810173952-511: The goddess Manasa is fixed on the ground and worshipped, not only in the month of Shravan, as in the rest of the country, but also in the month Bhadra Masa . Festival is held within the precincts of the house. In South India , snake is identified with Subramanya (Commander of the celestial army) and also with Shiva and Vishnu . In Karnataka , the preparation for the festival starts on the New Moon day of Bhimana Amavasya , five days prior to
4028-402: The help of threads tied to wooden frames. In Maharashtra, they go round the anthill in a worship mode five times singing songs in praise of snake gods. Another form of worship practiced by women, who have no children for various reasons, install stone statues of snakes below the peepal tree and offer worship seeking blessings of the snake god for bestowing them with children. This is done as it
4104-408: The importance of worship of snakes. According to Hindu Puranas and the Mahabharata , Kashyapa , grandson of the universal creator Lord Brahma , married two daughters of Prajapati Daksha , Kadru and Vinata . Kadru then gave birth to the race of Naga , while Vinata gave birth to Aruna , who became the charioteer of the sun god, Surya , and also gave birth to the great eagle Garuda , who became
4180-669: The lunar cycle. Their new year starts in spring. In regions such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the solar cycle is emphasized and this is called the Tamil calendar (though Tamil Calendar uses month names like in Hindu Calendar) and Malayalam calendar and these have origins in the second half of the 1st millennium CE. A Hindu calendar is sometimes referred to as Panchangam (पञ्चाङ्गम्), which is also known as Panjika in Eastern India. The ancient Hindu calendar conceptual design
4256-630: The lunar month of Shravana during the monsoon season ) and since then the day is a festival day of the Naga as their life was spared on this day. Indra also went to Manasadevi and worshipped her. According to the Garuda Purana , offering prayers to snake on this day is auspicious and will usher good tidings in one's life. This is to be followed by feeding Brahmins. On the day of Naga Panchami, Naga, cobras, and snakes are worshipped with milk, sweets, flowers, lamps, and even sacrifices. Naga or serpent deities made of silver, stone, wood, or paintings on
4332-517: The mean diameter of the Earth, which was very close to the actual 12,742 km (7,918 mi). Hindu calendars were refined during the Gupta era astronomy by Āryabhaṭa and Varāhamihira in the 5th to 6th century. These, in turn, were based in the astronomical tradition of Vedāṅga Jyotiṣa , which in the preceding centuries had been standardised in a number of (non-extant) works known as Sūrya Siddhānta . Regional diversification took place in
4408-651: The medieval period. The astronomical foundations were further developed in the medieval period, notably by Bhāskara II (12th century). Later, the term Jyotisha evolved to include Hindu astrology . The astrological application of the Hindu calendar was a field that likely developed in the centuries after the arrival of Greek astrology with Alexander the Great , because their zodiac signs are nearly identical. The ancient Hindu texts on Jyotisha only discuss timekeeping, and never mention astrology or prophecy. These ancient texts predominantly cover astronomy, but at
4484-420: The mythical Nāga beings) observed by Hindus , Jains , and Buddhists throughout India & Nepal , and other countries where Hindu , Jain , and Buddhist adherents live. The worship is offered on the fifth day of bright half of lunar month of Shravana (July/August), according to the Hindu calendar . Some Indian states, such as Karnataka , Rajasthan , Bihar and Gujarat , celebrate Naga Panchami on
4560-493: The nine principle Nag: Ananta, Vasuki, Shesha, Padmanabha, Kambala, Shankhapala, Dhritarashtra, Takshaka and Kaliya. If prayed to daily in the morning, these illustrious Nag will keep one protected from all evils and help one become victorious in life. Fasting is observed on this day and Brahmins are fed. The piety observed on this day is considered a sure protection against the fear of snake bite. At many places, real snakes are worshipped and fairs held. On this day digging
4636-404: The other Naga chiefs (1,56). At that time, a learned sage named Astika , a boy in age, came and interfered. His mother Manasa was a Naga and father was a Brahmin . Janamejaya had to listen to the words of the learned Astika and set Takshaka free. He also stopped the massacre of the Nagas and ended all the enmity with them (1,56). From then on, the Nagas and Kurus lived in peace. Janamejaya became
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#17327972810174712-401: The paint. The design pattern will resemble a five hooded snake. Devotees then offer worship to this image on the floor. In villages, the anthills where the snakes are thought to reside, are searched. Incense is offered to the anthill as prayer along with milk (a myth of folk lore to feed milk to the snakes) to ensnare snakes to come out of the anthill. After this, milk is poured into the hole in
4788-411: The rainy season - the varsha ritu in Sanskrit . They are also depicted as deities of ponds and rivers and are said to be the embodiment of water as they spring out of their holes, like a spring of water. As it is believed that snakes have more powers than humans and on account of its association with Shiva , Devi , Vishnu and Subramanya , a degree of fear is instilled resulting in deification of
4864-408: The same challenge of accounting for the mismatch between the nearly 354 lunar days in twelve months, versus over 365 solar days in a year. They tracked the solar year by observing the entrance and departure of Surya (sun, at sunrise and sunset) in the constellation formed by stars in the sky, which they divided into 12 intervals of 30 degrees each. Like other ancient human cultures, Hindus innovated
4940-496: The snake god as a form of an offering. On this day snake charmers are everywhere in towns and villages displaying snakes in their baskets which will have all types of snakes such as pythons , rat snakes , and cobras mingled together. Some of the snake charmers hang limp snakes around their neck and crowds gather to witness these scenes. The snakes in the basket are also worshipped on the occasion. However, in Punjab this festival
5016-508: The snakes on Naga Panchami day. In Central India, in Nagapur , Maharashtra State snakes have special identity. The name of the city is derived from the word Naga which means snake as the place was infested with snakes. Nagapur was the homeland of 'Naga' people who embraced Buddhism, supported it with great efforts in its early period, and propagated it throughout India. Nagaoba Temple in Mahal
5092-460: The son of King Parikshita of the Kuru dynasty was performing a snake sacrifice known as Sarpa Satra , to avenge for the death of his father from a snake bite by the snake king called Takshaka . A sacrificial fireplace had been specially erected and the fire sacrifice to kill all snakes in the world was started by a galaxy of learned Brahmin sages. The sacrifice performed in the presence of Janamejaya
5168-783: The sun cycle and the names of months and when they consider the New Year to start. Of the various regional calendars, the most studied and known Hindu calendars are the Shalivahana Shaka (Based on the King Shalivahana , also the Indian national calendar ) found in the Deccan region of Southern India and the Vikram Samvat (Bikrami) found in Nepal and the North and Central regions of India – both of which emphasize
5244-417: The sun], is the quantity of half-months ( syzygies ). — Rigveda Jyotisha-vedanga 4 Translator: Kim Plofker The Vedic culture developed a sophisticated time keeping methodology and calendars for Vedic rituals, and timekeeping as well as the nature of solar and Moon movements are mentioned in Vedic texts. For example, Kaushitaki Brahmana chapter 19.3 mentions the shift in the relative location of
5320-468: The text were open and revised over their lives. For example, the 1st millennium CE Hindu scholars calculated the sidereal length of a year as follows, from their astronomical studies, with slightly different results: The Hindu texts used the lunar cycle for setting months and days, but the solar cycle to set the complete year. This system is similar to the Jewish and Babylonian ancient calendars, creating
5396-879: The wall are first bathed with water and milk and then worshipped with the reciting of the following mantras. नाग प्रीता भवन्ति शान्तिमाप्नोति बिअ विबोह् सशन्ति लोक मा साध्य मोदते सस्थित समः Nāg prītā bhavanti śāntimāpnoti bia viboh saśanti loka mā sādhya modate sasthitaḥ samaḥ Let all be blessed by the snake goddess, let everyone obtain peace Let all live peacefully without any turbulence. अनंतं वासुकीं शेषं पद्मनाभं च कंबलम् शंखपालं धृतराष्ट्रं च तक्षकं कालियं तथा एतानि नव नामानि नागानाम् च महात्मन: सायंकाले पठेन्नित्यं प्रात:काले विशेषत: तस्य विषभयं नास्ति सर्वत्र विजयी भवेत् anaṃtaṃ vāsukīṃ śeṣaṃ padmanābhaṃ ca kaṃbalam śaṃkhapālaṃ dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ ca takṣakaṃ kāliyaṃ tathā etāni nava nāmāni nāgānām ca mahātmana: sāyaṃkāle paṭhennityaṃ prāta:kāle viśeṣata: tasya viṣabhayaṃ nāsti sarvatra vijayī bhavet I reverently invoke
5472-439: The year, which in reality is actually caused by the Earth revolving around the Sun. The rāśi s have 30° each and are named for constellations found in the zodiac. The time taken by the Sun to transit through a rāśi is a solar month whose name is identical to the name of the rāśi. In practice, solar months are mostly referred as rāśi (not months). The solar months are named differently in different regional calendars. While
5548-494: Was battling with Karna . Ashvasena is mentioned here as born in the race of Airavata (8,90). The asura architect Mayasura who came there after Shiva warned him of the fall of Tripura is mentioned as escaping from the abode of Takshaka when Khandava Forest was burned (1,230) though some stories portray him as coming out to bow before Krishna and then guiding the Pandavas to a cave where an ancient treasure horde that also had
5624-462: Was directed at its full force, towards Takshaka and the Naga race. Janamejaya started a campaign at Takshasila where he massacred the Nagas, with the intent of exterminating the Naga race (1,52). Takshaka left his territory and escaped to the Deva territory where he sought protection from Deva king Indra (1,53). But Janamejaya's men traced him and brought him as a prisoner in order to execute him along with
5700-473: Was so powerful that it was causing all snakes to fall into the Yagna kunda (sacrificial fire pit). When the priests found that only Takshaka who had bitten and killed Parisksihita had escaped to the nether world of Indra seeking his protection, the sages increased the tempo of reciting the mantras (spells) to drag Takshaka and also Indra to the sacrificial fire. Takshaka had coiled himself around Indra's cot but
5776-418: Was the early period of Deshalji's reign. When the army of Kutch was in a state of losing the battle, a group of Naga Bawas opened the gate of Bhujia Fort by a clever ploy of visiting Naga temple for worship and joined the fray against Sher Buland Khan's army. Eventually Deshalji I won the battle. Since that day Naga Bawa and their leader have a pride of place in the procession held on Naga Panchami day. Within
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