Do Snakes Drink Milk? The Truth Behind Nagula Chavithi 2026

Quick answer: No, snakes do not drink milk. They are reptiles that eat whole prey, milk is not part of their diet, and forest officials warn that feeding it to them can make them ill. On Nagula Chavithi the milk is an offering to the Naga Devata, so place a little beside the putta (snake mound) or pour it over a naga stone, never into the burrow. In 2026, Nagula Chavithi falls on Friday 13 November in India and Thursday 12 November in the USA and Canada.

Every year on the fourth day after Deepavali Amavasya, Telugu families carry milk, turmeric and chalimidi to the nearest putta. It is one of the oldest Naga pujas of the Karthika calendar, and one of the most misunderstood. This guide explains what the offering means, what experts and the law say about snakes and milk, and how to keep the puja in full without harming the creature it honours.

Nagula Chavithi 2026 at a glance

Item	2026 details
Date in India	Friday 13 November (Karthika Shukla Chaturthi)
Puja muhurat (Hyderabad)	10:52 AM to 1:08 PM IST
Chavithi tithi	6:09 PM on 12 November to 8:42 PM on 13 November (IST)
USA and Canada	Thursday 12 November
UK, UAE, Singapore and Australia	Friday 13 November

Timings follow Drik Panchang (Hyderabad); the muhurat shifts by a few minutes in other cities. For the full date, vidhi and samagri, see our Nagula Chavithi 2026 guide, and for your country see the USA, Canada, UK, UAE, Australia and Singapore guides.

Why Hindus revere the Nagas

Nagula Chavithi is the Naga puja of Karthika, kept mainly by married women praying for their children's wellbeing, and is a major festival in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and parts of Karnataka.

Serpents sit close to the gods in Hindu thought. Lord Vishnu rests on Adishesha, Lord Shiva wears Vasuki, and in Telugu and Kannada country Subrahmanya Swamy is worshipped in serpent form. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna counts them among his own glories: sarpāṇām asmi vāsukiḥ, "of serpents I am Vasuki" (10.28), and anantaś cāsmi nāgānām, "of the Nagas I am Ananta" (10.29).

The reverence is older still. The Sarpa Suktam of the Krishna Yajurveda (Taittiriya Samhita 4.2.8) opens with a salutation to serpents everywhere:

नमो अस्तु सर्पेभ्यो ये के च पृथिवीमनु । ये अन्तरिक्षे ये दिवि तेभ्यः सर्पेभ्यो नमः ॥

namo astu sarpebhyo ye ke ca pṛthivīm anu | ye antarikṣe ye divi tebhyaḥ sarpebhyo namaḥ ||

నమో అస్తు సర్పేభ్యో యే కే చ పృథివీమను । యే అంతరిక్షే యే దివి తేభ్యః సర్పేభ్యో నమః ॥

"Salutations to the serpents, whichever are on the earth, in the mid-air and in the sky; to those serpents, salutations."

There is a practical side too: snakes keep rats in check in fields and granaries, so farming families had every reason to protect them. Reverence and protection were always the same idea.

Why milk at the putta? What each offering means

The putta is a termite mound where snakes often shelter, so it stands for the Naga Devata's home. The belief behind the puja is that an offering made there reaches the serpent gods; the milk is meant for the deity, not for the animal's stomach.

Offering	What it stands for
Milk	Purity; the same abhishekam offered over a Shiva linga or a naga stone
Turmeric and kumkum	Auspicious marks, placed on the stone or the ground beside the mound
Chalimidi (rice flour and jaggery) and chimmili (sesame and jaggery)	Naivedyam, shared afterwards as prasadam
A lamp	Light offered to the deity, kept a safe distance from the mound
A pinch of the mound's soil touched to the ears	A family custom kept after the puja

Seen this way, a small cup of milk placed beside the mound, or a little poured over a naga stone, completes the puja. Pouring litres into the burrow adds nothing to the devotion and, as the next section shows, harms the snake.

Do snakes really drink milk? What experts and the law say

No. Snakes swallow whole prey such as rats, frogs and eggs, and milk is not part of their diet. Snakes seen "drinking" at festivals have usually been caught weeks earlier by snake charmers and kept without water, so a dehydrated snake laps up whatever liquid it is given.

Even the putta offering can hurt. Rokkam Kiran Kumar, founder of the Snake Saver Society in Visakhapatnam, told The Hans India that litres of milk poured into the pits end up suffocating the snakes inside; the same report says eggs left at the pits are often collected and sold afterwards.

The law is clear as well. Snakes in India are protected under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and capturing, displaying or transporting them is a punishable offence. In August 2026, Telangana Forest Department teams, helped by about 25 members of the Friends of Snakes Society, rescued 17 cobras from snake charmers in Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Sangareddy districts ahead of Naga Panchami (Siasat).

None of these experts asks families to give up the festival. They ask for small offerings placed beside the mound rather than poured into it, and for worship of stone or clay naga idols instead of live snakes.

A safe, snake-friendly Nagula Chavithi puja

Begin with a fast. Many women fast from morning until the puja is done; take fruit, milk or water if your health needs it.
Prepare the naivedyam. Make chalimidi and chimmili, and keep a banana, flowers, turmeric, kumkum and a small cup of milk ready.
Choose a safe place. Worship at a naga stone in a temple (often under a peepal tree at a Subrahmanya or Shiva shrine), at a naga idol at home, or at a mound on open public ground. Never cross forest fencing or disturb a mound in the wild.
Offer at the muhurat. In Hyderabad it is 10:52 AM to 1:08 PM IST; check your own city. Mark the stone, or the ground beside the mound, with turmeric and kumkum, add flowers, and light a lamp a safe distance away.
Offer the milk with care. Pour a little over the naga stone or idol, or set a small cup beside the mound. Never pour milk into the holes, and never offer it to a live snake.
Chant and pray with the naga mantra below, for your children and family.
Leave the mound as you found it. Walk around it, touch a pinch of soil to your ears if that is your family's custom, and take food and wrappers home. Skip crackers near mounds.
Share the prasadam with neighbours, and give leftover milk to a child or someone in need rather than pouring it away.

A traditional naga mantra for the day:

सर्वे नागाः प्रीयन्तां मे ये केचित् पृथ्वीतले । ये च हेलिमरीचिस्था येऽन्तरे दिवि संस्थिताः ॥ ये नदीषु महानागा ये सरस्वतिगामिनः । ये च वापीतडागेषु तेषु सर्वेषु वै नमः ॥

sarve nāgāḥ prīyantāṃ me ye kecit pṛthvītale | ye ca helimarīcisthā ye 'ntare divi saṃsthitāḥ || ye nadīṣu mahānāgā ye sarasvatigāminaḥ | ye ca vāpītaḍāgeṣu teṣu sarveṣu vai namaḥ ||

సర్వే నాగాః ప్రీయంతాం మే యే కేచిత్ పృథ్వీతలే । యే చ హేలిమరీచిస్థా యేఽంతరే దివి సంస్థితాః ॥ యే నదీషు మహానాగా యే సరస్వతిగామినః । యే చ వాపీతడాగేషు తేషు సర్వేషు వై నమః ॥

"May all the Nagas be pleased with me: those on the earth, those in the sun's rays, those between earth and sky and in the heavens, the great Nagas of the rivers and those that travel to the Sarasvati, and those in wells and ponds. To all of them, salutations."

Fasting, prasadam, and the day's do's and don'ts

Most women fast until the puja is over and then eat only prasadam, such as chalimidi, chimmili and soaked moong dal; some wait until the evening aarti. If you are pregnant, diabetic, elderly or on medication, keep the puja and skip the strict fast, or check with your doctor.

Do's

Worship at a naga stone, idol or picture; the offering reaches the Naga Devata either way.
Keep offerings small and place them beside the mound.
Keep children and pets away from mounds and long grass.
Report snake charmers. In Telangana, call the Forest Department toll-free on 1800-425-5364, or contact the Friends of Snakes Society.

Don'ts

Don't pour milk into burrows or over live snakes.
Don't touch, feed or corner a live snake, and don't pay a snake charmer for "darshan".
Don't put turmeric or kumkum on a snake.
Don't burst crackers or leave heaps of food at the mound.

Keeping Nagula Chavithi abroad

Use your local date: Thursday 12 November in the USA and Canada; Friday 13 November in the UK, UAE, Singapore and Australia. Never convert India's muhurat; use a panchang set to your own city.
No putta? No problem. Worship a naga idol or picture at your home altar, or shape a small naga from wheat- or rice-flour dough, and offer a spoon of milk as abhishekam.
Join a temple puja: Subrahmanya and Murugan temples abroad are busy this week, with Skanda Shashti two days later.
In Australia, stay indoors: it is late spring and snakes are active, so a home puja is the safe choice.
Leave wildlife alone: wild snakes abroad can be venomous and are often legally protected.
Explain it to children: we honour the Naga Devata by protecting real snakes, not by feeding them.

Frequently asked questions

Do snakes drink milk?

No. Snakes are reptiles that eat whole prey, and milk is not part of their diet. Snakes seen "drinking" at festivals have usually been starved and dehydrated by snake charmers.

Why is milk offered on Nagula Chavithi?

The milk is an offering to the Naga Devata, like abhishekam over a Shiva linga. The putta stands for the deity's home, so a little milk beside the mound or over a naga stone completes the puja.

Can I do the Nagula Chavithi puja without an anthill?

Yes. Worship a naga stone at a temple, a naga idol or picture at home, or a small naga shaped from flour dough, with milk, turmeric, kumkum, flowers, chalimidi and chimmili.

When is Nagula Chavithi 2026, and what is the muhurat?

Friday 13 November 2026 in India, with a puja muhurat of 10:52 AM to 1:08 PM IST in Hyderabad (Drik Panchang). In the USA and Canada it is Thursday 12 November.

Is it legal to worship a live snake or pay a snake charmer?

No. Snakes in India are protected under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and capturing, displaying or transporting them is a punishable offence. Worship idols instead and report snake charmers.

Can I offer eggs on Nagula Chavithi?

Some families offer eggs by custom, but snakes do not take them from the mound, and activists report that eggs left at pits are often collected and sold afterwards. If your family keeps the custom, place one beside the mound, not inside it.

What should I do if I see a snake during the puja?

Stay calm, step back slowly and keep children away. Do not touch, feed or corner it. Call a local snake rescuer or the forest department, and if anyone is bitten, go to a hospital immediately.

What is the difference between Nagula Chavithi and Naga Panchami?

Nagula Chavithi falls on Karthika Shukla Chaturthi, four days after Deepavali, and is kept mainly in Telugu and Kannada homes. Naga Panchami falls on Shravana Shukla Panchami, in July or August.