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August 1st Monday– Nagara Chathurthi
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August 2nd Tuesday – Nagara Panchami
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Nagara Chauthi is the fourth day of the Shravana masa. On this day married women take head bath and wearing wet clothes (or washed clothes separately) which makes it very pure, either do the pooje to the snake hootha or place a silver idol of Nagappa and continue. Unboiled milk or raw milk, haldi, soaked kadale, gejjevastra and flowers are offered to the idol of Nagappa. Women who do the pooje on this day fast as well. This is how we do the pooje in Madhwa houses. No fried items are prepared during this day. Women also prepare thambittu and do aarathi to Nagappa using the same. All this needs to be done in madi.
P.S: No Kumkum is applied to Nagappa on Chauthi. The gejjevastra is prepared by applying Haldi. No deep fired items as well.
Next day being the Nagara Panchami, everyone in the house performs the pooje; including children. If you are offering milk to the idol of Nagappa; it is customary to do the pooje to Nagappa as soon as you wake up, take a shower and even before drinking your coffee in the morning. As done in the previous day, place a silver plate, keep the idol of Nagappa. Pour 3 times milk, water, haldi, kumkum, gejjevastra, flowers and kadale. Prepare the thambittu and do the aarathi.
P.S:Kumkum is applied to Nagappa on Panchami. The gejjevastra is prepared by applying Kumkum. No deep fired items as well.
It is also customary to draw images of Nagappa on the front door, hosthilu and also near the place you worship using rice paste. Haldi, kumkum, gejje vastra and flowers are applied to these as well.
Lord Krishna was playing ball with his friends, when suddenly the ball got entangled in the high branch of a tree. Krishna volunteered to climb the tree and fetch the ball. But below the tree the river Yamuna was flowing in full glory, in which the snake Kalinga was living. Nobody dared to go near that place. Lord Krishna ignoring the warnings of his friends jumps into the water. The dangerous ‘Kalinga” serpent comes up. But Krishna was ready and jumping on the snake’s head, starts dancing on its head. Kalinga realizes the strength of Lord Krishna and pleads with Krishna: “Please, do not kill me.” Krishna takes sympathy on Kalinga and after taking a promise that henceforth he would not harm anybody, he let the snake go free into the river again. Hence, Nag Panchami is also commemorated as a day of victory of Lord Krishna over Kalinga the legendary snake.
What to eat during Nagara Chauthi?
So, here are the items you can prepare during this day, when you are not supposed to fry anything.
- Mosaru Avalakki
- Cucumber Kosambari
- Gojju Avalakki
- Rava Idli
What to eat during Nagara Panchami? No frying on this day as well. And no dish made out of Vermicelli or Shavige.
To prepare Thambittu follow this procedure:
P.S: Nagara Panchami Haadu/Song is posted here
Kalpavriksha Kamadhenu 
Posted by Lakshmi Padaki on August 25, 2018 at 8:49 am
If for some reason one is unable to perform naga puja on the day is there any alternate day on which it can be done?
Posted by meeraghu on August 25, 2018 at 5:01 pm
Not sure really.
Posted by Prach on August 14, 2018 at 9:22 am
Instead madi if not available new clothes can be used? Since wet madi we can’t prepare navaidya.
Posted by meeraghu on August 16, 2018 at 6:56 am
yes new clothes.
Posted by manasa on July 25, 2017 at 1:40 pm
Hello madam,
I am also a Madhva brahmin, in my mom’s home we didnt celebrate naga chauthi but in Mother in law’s home they celebrate. can you please tell me if i should fast on naga chauthi ( like nirahara) or else i can eat some thindi? please help me out.
also one more question when we do pooja for nagappa on chauthi , the next day do we need to clean nagappa and again do pooja or else to do pooja to the same ?
Posted by meeraghu on July 26, 2017 at 9:16 am
You can eat thindi which is not fried, like Rava Idli, avalakki etc. Yes, clean and do pooje next day.
Posted by manasa on July 26, 2017 at 9:41 pm
thank you madam. I know i can really count on you, you have replied to every message. you also helped me complete my mangal gowri pooja when i had doubt about some things( which you answered and helped me out). thank you so much mam>:)
Posted by meeraghu on July 27, 2017 at 7:51 am
Manasa, I am doing nothing, mostly replying after some time due to hectic workload. Glad I could help and thanks so much for keeping our traditions going.
Posted by Vidya Rao on July 25, 2017 at 3:41 am
Seems the naga panchami is on Friday 28th July. And Rig Vedha upakarna on 28th Friday. Yajur veda falls somewhere Sept 1st week. Not sure of the dates.
Posted by meeraghu on July 25, 2017 at 12:59 pm
Which calendar?
Posted by Nagashree on July 27, 2017 at 2:30 pm
Namaskara Meera avare. This is as per uttaradi mutt calendar. The reason being there is lunar eclipse on 7th August which is nulu hunnime. This is visible in India and hence they will not be celebrating upakarma on that day and instead will observe it on 28th July, Friday. However, I understand that the eclipse is not visible in USA. So how do we go about? Do we follow the calendar and do it on 28th or on 7th? I am confused. Thank you in advance for your patience
Posted by meeraghu on July 27, 2017 at 2:37 pm
Ahh, got it. If you follow USA calendar than you can do it on 7th? Doing it tomorrow should also be fine since they have anyway preponed, looks like that is an alternate day to do it. I am no expert and so always do as my Father tells.
Posted by Saroja on August 1, 2016 at 2:20 pm
Hello Meera mam,
I’m a regular reader of your posts and wanted to thank you for all the effort taken to give us the info . I would like to add that on Nagarchauti day we also do not eat anything salty. Anything sweet van be taken. This is customary to our family but just sharing it.
Posted by meeraghu on August 1, 2016 at 2:31 pm
Yes, customs and traditions vary. Heard from lots about that.
Posted by N. Gantotti on August 17, 2015 at 2:08 pm
The reason you should not fry anything on these special days, all our food that are fried are round. Since Nagappa when he sits he goes in circle to position himself to sit which is known as “Mandala”. So just to avoid anything looks or similar things should not be cooked or fried, that goes for noodles also. Very same reason.
Posted by meeraghu on August 18, 2015 at 8:58 am
That’s a wonderful explanation.
Posted by gayathri on July 30, 2014 at 2:15 am
Dear Madam,
Thank you very much for everything,its beautiful and very very informative as you,
Posted by Ram on August 10, 2013 at 12:42 pm
why shouldn’t we eat fry item ?
Posted by meeraghu on August 10, 2013 at 1:16 pm
No idea. I just follow what my Parents told me.
Posted by DAKalpana on August 10, 2013 at 4:54 am
Also all the things that we
eat should be saltless on nagachaturthi.
Posted by Roopa on August 9, 2013 at 12:38 pm
Can you please post recipe on SEEE kadabu (sweet kadabu) in Kannada they prepare for nag panchmi
Posted by meeraghu on August 9, 2013 at 1:02 pm
You are asking about this:
https://meerasubbarao.wordpress.com/2008/09/15/kayi-kadabu-fresh-coconut-kadabu/
Like I said, we don’t fry anything during Chauthi and Panchami.
Posted by vidhyaaaa on August 8, 2013 at 4:39 am
Thank you very much for the detailed explanation. This is my first festive celebration after marriage and also far away from home. Your blog has helped me a lot.
Posted by meeraghu on August 8, 2013 at 4:42 pm
Awesome.
Posted by Srimushnam K. Nagarajan ,42,Rajarathinam Main Road,AMs Flats, Trinity Builders,Narmadha Nagar,Ullagaram, Chennai 600 091,India. Mob: 09444469340. on August 7, 2013 at 2:16 pm
Thank you for the detailed information about nagara chauthi/pancham iand its perfomace. Srimushnam K Nagarajan, Organiser, Vivaha Marriage Informtion Centre, Ullagaram, Chennai 600 091 Mob: 09444469340.
Posted by ramsblog on August 7, 2013 at 1:22 pm
Thank you for this beautiful post. I remember the school days when my mother get us up sooner than usual and perform the pooja before going to school.
For clarification, how do you define “madi” ? I remember wearing wet dhothi for this pooja back then, or dhothi that were separately dried in kitchen / dining hall (space constraint) . Just curious to know other forms of madi. I only mentioned 1 as an example among many others been customary at home.
Thank you
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Posted by meeraghu on August 7, 2013 at 1:37 pm
Madi in my household is wet clothes or the one which is washed while taking shower the previous day and dried separately where no one touches the clothes. In many households they wear silk clothes and consider it also madi. All depends.