About Nagula Chavithi
Nagula Chavithi is the Telugu day of serpent worship, kept on Karthika Shukla Chaturthi, the fourth lunar day after the Deepavali new moon. In 2026 it falls on Friday, 13 November 2026. Women in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana fast, pour milk at an anthill, the snake's home, and offer chalimidi and chimmili for their children's health.
Most of India prays to the nagas in the monsoon, on Nag Panchami. In Telugu homes, especially in Andhra Pradesh, the bigger serpent day comes in early winter, a few days after Diwali, when the Karthika month of lamps has just begun. It is mainly a mothers' day of prayer: the fast and the walk to the anthill are kept for the children of the house.
How the date is set
Nagula Chavithi falls on the Chaturthi, the fourth lunar day, of the bright half of Karthika in the Telugu calendar, where each month begins after the new moon. Counted from the Deepavali new moon, that puts it four days after Diwali in most years. When a tithi is skipped or stretched, the gap can become five. Panchangs give the day on which Chaturthi is running at sunrise and suggest a late-morning puja window, which shifts slightly every year and by city.
Not every Telugu family keeps this date. Some keep their serpent puja on Shravana Shukla Chaturthi in the monsoon instead, and in Hyderabad the long queues at anthill shrines such as the Nagadevatha temple near Clock Tower, Secunderabad, come on Nagula Panchami in Shravan. If you are unsure which day a friend's family keeps, ask.
In many homes Nagula Chavithi opens a short run of three days: Chavithi, then Nagula Panchami and Nagula Shashti on the two days after. The first day carries the main puja.
The puja at the putta
The putta is a termite mound. Cobras often shelter in old mounds, so the anthill stands for the naga's home, and the worship happens there rather than at a live snake.
- Bathe and begin the fastWomen bathe early and keep a fast, often without food until the puja is done. Some families keep it all day.
- Walk to the puttaFamilies go together to a mound in a field, a temple compound or a roadside shrine. In towns, temples keep a mound or a stone naga for the purpose.
- Pour the milkA little cow's milk is poured into the mound's opening, and a cotton thread is wound around the mound. Turmeric, kumkum and flowers are placed at its base.
- Offer the naivedyamChalimidi, chimmili and bananas are laid out. Some families add boiled palmyra sprouts, called tegalu.
- Say the prayerElders ask the naga to forgive any accidental harm. A well-known folk prayer pleads that if anyone steps on the snake by mistake, it should treat them as its own and slip away.
- Return and break the fastThe family eats the offered sweets as prasadam. Children often set off the firecrackers left over from Diwali near the mound.
Why snakes, and why children
Shiva wears a snake at his throat, Vishnu rests on the coils of Adishesha, and in Telugu country Subrahmanya, Shiva's son, is closely tied to the serpent. At Mopidevi in Krishna district, about 70 km from Vijayawada, local tradition holds that Subrahmanya did penance there in the form of a serpent. Nagula Chavithi is one of the temple's main festivals, and couples hoping for a child come for its Sarpa Dosha puja.
That link explains the day's focus on children. A naga is believed to guard the family line, and an offended one to bring illness or childlessness. Families who take Subrahmanya as their family god often name sons Nagaraju, Phani, Subrahmanyam or Subbarao.
Panchangs list twelve nagas to be remembered on the day. A short Sanskrit verse naming nine of them is chanted in many homes:
Anantam Vasukim Shesham Padmanabham cha Kambalam, Shankhapalam Dhartarashtram Takshakam Kaliyam tatha.
Food for the day
- Putta
- An anthill or termite mound, treated as the naga's home
- Chalimidi
- Soaked rice flour bound with jaggery and a little ghee, a sweet that needs no frying
- Chimmili
- A sweet ball of sesame seeds pounded with jaggery
- Tegalu
- Boiled palmyra sprouts, an early-winter food in Andhra
- Naivedyam
- Food offered to the deity before the family eats it
- Nagula Chavithi shubhakankshalu
- "Good wishes for Nagula Chavithi", the usual Telugu greeting
Neither sweet needs frying, which suits a fasting morning. Both are shared with neighbours after the puja.
Karnataka, Telangana and the Shravan date
The name Nagara Chauthi causes confusion. In most of Karnataka the snake festival is Nagara Panchami in Shravan, and Nagara Chauthi or Naga Chaturthi is the day before it, when women fast and, in Madhwa homes, draw a naga in yellow paste on the wall by the door. The Karthika Chavithi is kept mainly in Telugu homes and in some parts of Karnataka.
| Where | What it is called | When |
|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | Nagula Chavithi | Karthika Shukla Chaturthi, after Diwali |
| Telangana | Nagula Chavithi or Nagula Panchami | Some families keep Karthika, others Shravan; Hyderabad's anthill shrines draw long queues in Shravan |
| Karnataka | Nagara Chauthi, then Nagara Panchami | Shravana Shukla Chaturthi and Panchami, in the monsoon |
| North and west India | Nag Panchami | Shravana Shukla Panchami |
Snakes, milk and the law
Snakes are reptiles and cannot digest milk. A captive snake drinks it only when it has been kept without water, and it can fall ill afterwards. Snakes are protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, so catching or carrying one for a puja is an offence.
In August 2026, ahead of Nagula Panchami, Telangana forest teams rescued 17 cobras from snake charmers across Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Sangareddy districts and asked devotees to worship images instead. The Visakha SPCA in Visakhapatnam began working against live-snake displays at Nagula Chavithi in 1996. It took about six years to end them in its area, and idols, artificial mounds and small temples replaced the stitched-mouth cobras once shown to crowds.
What to write
Wish the mother of the family by name if you know she is fasting, and keep the wish about protection and the children. The Telugu greeting works from anyone, Telugu or not.
Amma, Nagula Chavithi shubhakankshalu. Nee chalimidi ruchi ikkada kooda gurtostondi. Puja ayyaka phone cheyyi. (Happy Nagula Chavithi, Amma. I can almost taste your chalimidi from here. Call me after the puja.)
Hope the fast goes easy today. Once the puja at the putta is done and the chalimidi is shared, eat well and rest. Nagula Chavithi wishes to you and the little ones.
Your first Nagula Chavithi as parents. May the Naga Devata watch over the baby, today and always. Lots of love to all three of you.
Wishing you and your family a peaceful Nagula Chavithi. Hope the morning puja goes well and the children get their share of chimmili.
Nagula Chavithi shubhakankshalu from home. Pinni says a small naga drawn in turmeric by your door counts just as much. Send us a photo. (Good wishes for Nagula Chavithi from home.)
Happy Nagula Chavithi. May the nagas guard your home and your children, and may every snake that crosses your path go its way in peace.
Do
- Use the Telugu greeting "Nagula Chavithi shubhakankshalu", or simply "Happy Nagula Chavithi".
- Ask a Kannada or Telangana friend which day their family keeps before you wish them.
- Offer to cover a fasting colleague's lunch meeting, or move it after their puja.
Avoid
- Don't send images of cobras drinking milk. They show a practice that harms snakes.
- Don't joke about snakes or "snake-worshippers". For the family this is a prayer for their children.
- Don't call it "Telugu Nag Panchami". It has its own date, month and customs.
How to wish someone on Nagula Chavithi
A Nagula Chavithi wish is a prayer for protection, above all for children, since mothers keep the fast for them. Mention the puja at the putta, the fast or the chalimidi, and use the Telugu greeting \"Nagula Chavithi shubhakankshalu\" if you can. Keep it devotional and gentle. Skip snake jokes and cobra-drinking-milk images, since feeding milk to live snakes harms them. For Kannada friends, check which day their family keeps.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Telugu.
When is Nagula Chavithi in each year?
Nagula Chavithi is set by the Hindu lunisolar calendar, so it falls on a different date each year. In 2027 it falls 11 days earlier than in 2026.
- 2026
- 2027
- 2028
Frequently asked questions
When is Nagula Chavithi in 2026?
Nagula Chavithi 2026 falls on Friday, 13 November 2026.
Why is milk poured into an anthill on Nagula Chavithi?
Cobras often shelter in old termite mounds, so Telugu families treat the anthill, or putta, as the naga's home. Pouring a little milk there is an offering to the serpent deity, made at its home rather than to a live snake.
What is the difference between Nagula Chavithi and Nag Panchami?
Nagula Chavithi falls on the fourth lunar day of Karthika's bright half, a few days after Diwali, and is kept mainly in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Nag Panchami falls on the fifth day of Shravan's bright half, in the monsoon, and is kept across most of India.
Who observes the Nagula Chavithi fast?
Mainly married women, who fast until the puja at the anthill for the health and long life of their children. Some keep the fast all day, and some families worship a naga idol at home instead of going to an anthill.
What food is offered on Nagula Chavithi?
The usual offerings are chalimidi, made from rice flour and jaggery, chimmili, made from sesame and jaggery, bananas and milk. Some families also offer boiled palmyra sprouts, called tegalu.
Is Nagara Chauthi in Karnataka the same day as Nagula Chavithi?
Usually not. In most of Karnataka, Nagara Chauthi is the Shravan day just before Nagara Panchami, in the monsoon, while Nagula Chavithi falls in Karthika after Diwali. Some parts of Karnataka do keep the Karthika date, so check with the family.
How do you wish someone Happy Nagula Chavithi in Telugu?
Say "Nagula Chavithi shubhakankshalu", which means good wishes for Nagula Chavithi.
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