Nag Panchami 1986
Worship of the serpent deities on Shravana Shukla Panchami.
Muhurat & timings
Kashi/IST · astronomically computed- Sankalp (sunrise)05:29
- Sunset18:37
- Fasting window (tithi)00:20 → 23:30
- Parana (tithi ends)23:30
Festival days follow the classical attribution rules — udaya (sunrise), pradosha (evening), nishita (midnight), madhyahna or aparahna vyapini as each festival prescribes — computed for Kashi/Varanasi (IST). Regional observance can differ by a day in some years.
Read the Nag Panchami puja vidhi, vrat rules and kathaNag Panchami — Frequently Asked Questions
When is Nag Panchami celebrated?
Nag Panchami falls on the Panchami (fifth tithi) of the Shukla Paksha (bright half) of Shravana, during the monsoon — usually late July or August. The exact date shifts each year with the lunar calendar; see the year's date above.
Why is milk offered to snakes on Nag Panchami?
Milk is offered as naivedya to the Naga deity in worship, an act of reverence and gratitude to the serpent as protector of crops, water and fertility. Note that snakes are lactose-intolerant, so devotees and welfare traditions today offer milk to a Naga idol, image or anthill rather than forcing it on a live snake.
What should you not do on Nag Panchami?
Many families avoid digging or ploughing the earth (to protect serpents in their burrows), frying food on a hot iron tava, and cutting or sewing — all observed as acts of ahimsa (non-injury) toward the Naga on this day.
Which snakes or Nagas are worshipped on Nag Panchami?
The nine principal Nagas are invoked: Ananta (Shesha), Vasuki, Padmanabha, Kambala, Shankhapala, Dhritarashtra, Takshaka and Kaliya, among others. Shesha, Vasuki and Takshaka are the most prominent in scripture.
Other major festivals in 1986
- Makar Sankranti — 14 January 1986
- Vasant Panchami — 13 February 1986
- Maha Shivaratri — 8 March 1986
- Holika Dahan — 25 March 1986
- Holi — 27 March 1986
- Chaitra Navratri begins — 10 April 1986
- Ram Navami — 18 April 1986
- Akshaya Tritiya — 11 May 1986
- Jagannath Rath Yatra — 9 July 1986
- Guru Purnima — 21 July 1986
- Raksha Bandhan — 19 August 1986
- Krishna Janmashtami — 27 August 1986
- Hartalika Teej — 7 September 1986
- Ganesh Chaturthi — 7 September 1986
- Anant Chaturdashi — 17 September 1986
- Pitru Paksha begins — 19 September 1986
- Sharad Navratri begins — 4 October 1986
- Durga Ashtami — 10 October 1986
- Maha Navami — 11 October 1986
- Dussehra / Vijayadashami — 12 October 1986
- Karwa Chauth — 21 October 1986
- Dhanteras — 30 October 1986
- Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) — 1 November 1986
- Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) — 1 November 1986
- Govardhan Puja — 3 November 1986
- Bhai Dooj — 3 November 1986
- Chhath Puja — 7 November 1986
- Kartik Purnima (Dev Deepawali) — 16 November 1986
- Guru Nanak Jayanti — 16 November 1986
- Hindu Festivals 1986 →