Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore

Mangalore, Aug 1: The festival of Nagara Panchami, the first in the Hindu calendar, was celebrated with much devotion on the morning of Friday August 1 in various temples across the city.

Devotees flocked to the temples in large numbers and offered obeisance to the serpent god.

Rituals such as 'Naga Thambila' were offered early morning in various Naga temples and moolasthanas.

Nagara Panchami is one of the most auspicious days in the year. It falls on the Panchami (fifth day) of Shukla Paksha (Shravana month) or fifth day of the bright fortnight of Shravana month as per the Hindu calendar.

Nagara Panchami is one of the most ancient and sacred festivals in this part of the coastal region. The coastal belt and Western Ghats have been a natural habitat for serpents since times unknown.

The people of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasargod districts worship the serpent god Subrahmanya. According to legend, the districts were reclaimed by Parashurama from the sea. Hence worship of serpent is done to original inhabitants. In the coastal belt, Subrahmanya in Sullia taluk, Kudupu near Mangalore, Kalavar near Kundapur and Manjeshwar in Kasargod district are the famous abodes of the serpent god, where devotees throng in large numbers on Naga Panchami day for worship.