KATHMANDU: The Nagpanchami festival is being observed across the country today on the occasion of Shrawan Shukla Panchami, with devotees worshipping Nag, or the serpent deity, as part of a traditional Hindu practice.
On the occasion, people place or paste pictures of serpents above the main entrance of their homes or on either side of the doorway and offer prayers. According to religious belief, worshipping Nag in this manner protects households from poisonous creatures such as snakes and scorpions, as well as from fire, lightning and other natural calamities throughout the year.
As part of the festival, devotees show their reverence for serpents by displaying their pictures at the entrances of their homes.
Meanwhile, large numbers of devotees have gathered since early morning at Naxal Nagpokhari in Kathmandu to worship Nag. Devotees have also thronged Nagdaha in Lalitpur and Nagpokhari in Bhaktapur to mark the festival.
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