Maharashtra assembly members want snake worship on Nag Panchami to restart in Battis Shirala

Mumbai: Members in the Maharashtra legislative assembly on Wednesday demanded that the practice of worshipping live snakes on Nag Panchami be restarted in the Battis Shirala town of Sangli district.

BJP legislator Satyajit Deshmukh moved a calling attention motion to raise the issue of serpent worship and said Jallikattu, a traditional and ancient bull-taming sport practised in Tamil Nadu, was restarted by the Supreme Court.

The use of elephants for ceremonial and religious purposes has also been allowed, Deshmukh said.

He said the Nag Panchami festival in Battis Shirala is a religious tradition with historical significance. The festival has found a place in school textbooks as well, he said.

Battis Shirala is known for its erstwhile practice of worshipping live snakes on Nag Panchami, celebrated in the month of Shravan. The Bombay High Court in 2002 banned the processions of cobras in the town.

Deshmukh described the claims that the reptiles were harmed as false.

Forest Minister Ganesh Naik said the festival of worshipping live snakes has religious meaning for the locals. However, it was stopped after wildlife conservationists moved the court, he said.

Naik said a meeting will be held on July 7-8 with the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Bhupender Yadav) in this connection.

“I will see how we can get permission to restart the practice as per the rules. The government will find a way to ensure that the reptiles are not harmed and the religious tradition continues,” he said.

NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil said there had been no incident of people dying while handling live snakes during the festival.

BJP member Gopichand Padalkar also supported Deshmukh’s demand. He said foreign tourists used to visit the town to witness the worship of live snakes.

On Nag Panchami, Deshmukh said, the locals look out for live cobras, worship them and let them go back to their natural environment without harming them.