Nag Panchami 2008
Worship of the serpent deities on Shravana Shukla Panchami.
Muhurat & timings
Kashi/IST · astronomically computed- Sankalp (sunrise)05:27
- Sunset18:40
- Fasting window (tithi)2008-08-05 · 10:08 → 10:25
- Parana (tithi ends)10:25
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 2008
- Makar Sankranti — 15 January 2008
- Vasant Panchami — 11 February 2008
- Maha Shivaratri — 6 March 2008
- Holika Dahan — 21 March 2008
- Holi — 22 March 2008
- Chaitra Navratri begins — 7 April 2008
- Ram Navami — 13 April 2008
- Akshaya Tritiya — 7 May 2008
- Jagannath Rath Yatra — 4 July 2008
- Guru Purnima — 18 July 2008
- Raksha Bandhan — 16 August 2008
- Krishna Janmashtami — 23 August 2008
- Hartalika Teej — 2 September 2008
- Ganesh Chaturthi — 3 September 2008
- Anant Chaturdashi — 14 September 2008
- Pitru Paksha begins — 16 September 2008
- Sharad Navratri begins — 30 September 2008
- Durga Ashtami — 7 October 2008
- Maha Navami — 8 October 2008
- Dussehra / Vijayadashami — 9 October 2008
- Karwa Chauth — 17 October 2008
- Dhanteras — 26 October 2008
- Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) — 27 October 2008
- Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) — 28 October 2008
- Govardhan Puja — 29 October 2008
- Bhai Dooj — 31 October 2008
- Chhath Puja — 4 November 2008
- Kartik Purnima (Dev Deepawali) — 13 November 2008
- Guru Nanak Jayanti — 13 November 2008
- Hindu Festivals 2008 →