Hindus mark Naga Panchami with devotion
Hyderabad: Naga Panchami was celebrated with great pomp and show on Friday, with Hindus passionately performing rituals to worship serpents.
Many devotees, along with their families, were seen visiting temples to offer flowers and milk in the snakes' nest burrows.
“It is a belief that if you worship the snake and perform the rituals on an auspicious day, all your wishes will come true. My daughters and I performed all the rituals every year,” said Jayanthi, a devotee.
Serpents occupy an important role in the Hindu pantheon and are worshipped by people to get malefic effects removed in their lives.
"I went to the temple in the morning and saw a long queue. I returned home and performed the rituals. In the evening, I went to perform the rituals in the temple with my family. We never miss Naga Panchami," said Siva, another devotee.
"The faith of the people, especially when it comes to Naga Panchami, is remarkable. Devotees fast and follow all the rituals. Since morning, people have been visiting the temple to seek blessings for the well-being of their families," said a flower vendor near the Nagadevata temple in Secunderabad.