Shirala

Shirala also called Battis [32] Shirala is a small town in India, 60 kilometers west of the district headquarters of Sangli and about 350 kilometers from Mumbai, capital of Maharashtra state. It is particularly known for its Hindu festival of the snake god.cite web | title =Face to face with the holy cobras | work =During the Hindu festival of the snake god, farmers capture cobras from their fields and let villagers shower them with offerings. They believe it will bring good fortune for next year. Jeremy Grange joined some of them in Shirala, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. | publisher =BBC News | date = 4 October 2007 | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7017971.stm | format =web | accessdate = 2008-01-23 ]

Transportation

Shirala is about 220 miles from Mumbai. State transport and private buses daily run between Mumbai and Shirala. It is advisable to stay at Kolhapur, the nearest city, which is 25 miles away and well-connected to Shirala. Kolhapur is connected to Mumbai through daily flights and trains.

nake Festival

Shirala is famous for its ‘Naag-Panchami’ - Festival of Snakes, an annual festival attended by hundreds of thousands people all across the world.

A few days before the actual festival, villagers (including children) hunt for snakes in the nearby areas in groups of 5-10. Snakes (including the poisonous Indian King Cobra) are traced from their body marks in soil. The ground is dug very carefully and the snakes are captured very carefully. Hundreds of hours spent in searching produce 7-8 snakes per group if they are lucky enough.

On the actual day of the festival, the snakes are taken in a huge procession. The procession begins with the blessings of village-goddess Amba-bai. Nearly 70-80 groups and organizations take part in the procession.

Noted annual festival

Battis Shirala is famous for its annual Nag Panchami Snake festival, which is attended by hundreds of thousands people.

On Bendue, a day approximately two weeks before the festival, farmers clean their cows and bulls, decorate them and feed them with special food; villagers go snake-hunting, after getting kaul (permission) from Goddess Amba Bai by placing a flower on her head. If the flower falls, voluntarily on left side then that family is not allowed to catch snake that year. It is believed that only natives of Shirala are allowed to catch the snakes. Snakes (including the venomous Indian King Cobra) are tracked by their body marks in the soil. The ground is dug up carefully and the snakes are captured. A lot of care is taken so that snakes are not hurt as if they are hurt it is considered as a bad thing for that family. Hundreds of hours of searching produces seven or eight snakes per group if they are lucky. These snakes are then stored in a big circular earthen [ [http://www.musicoutfitters.com/ethnic/ghatam.htm Jug Drums (Ghatams and Matkas)] ] pot with a smaller circular earthen pot placed on the top opening. Finally a cloth is used to cover the top and is tied with a rope. These pots are usually hung outside house. Every morning till the actual festival, these snakes are taken out of their earthen pots and fed with a rat or frog. This feeding is called Dav Pajane or feeding dew to a snake.

On the day of festival, the snakes are displayed in a huge procession. The procession begins with the blessings of the village goddess Amba-bai. 70 to 80 groups and originations take part in this procession. Before this procession, in the morning, snakes are taken to few neighboring homes so that women in those homes can worship these snakes. Recently court has banned catching of snakes due to animal (snake) abuse cases as rough handling of snakes can result in their death.

The snakes that were caught before the festival, are released at the same place from which they were caught.

Mith is one of the families in Shirala use to worship snake murti. When one of the Navnatha (Gorakhnath) visited their place , he gave them permission and blessing to catch actual snake and worship it. Shirala also has Gorkhnath Temple. Once in 12 years all the followers of Nath panti (Nath Sampradaya) visit Shirala and leave one of them behind to take care of this temple for the next 12 years.

References