kadai. Naga Chandreshwar Ujjain This is a sub temple located in the third floor of Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple in Ujjain. The speciality of this shrine is it is open only one day of the year on Naga Panchami day and remains shut on the rest of the year. The murthy of Nagachandreshwar is very unique with Shiva and Parvati seated on ten hooded snake surrounded by Nandhi Ganesha and other murthies. It is believed that the great snake Taksha lives here and praying during Naga Panchami rids the devotee of various afflications and doshas such as Naga Dosha, Sarpa Dosha and any form of Doshas. North and Northwestern India Naga Panchami is celebrated all over North India. In Kashmir, from historical times snakes have been worshipped by Hindus, and the places of worship are reported as 700. In north western India, in cities such as Benares, it is the time when Akharas (venues of wrestling practice and competitions) as part of Naga Panchami celebrations are bedecked; on this occasion the ahkaras are cleaned up thoroughly and walls painted with images of snakes, priests preside, and the gurus are honoured along with the sponsors. Its significance is that the wrestlers stand for virility and Naga symbolizes this “scheme of virility”. Akharas are decorated with snake images showing snakes drinking milk. In Narasinghgarh akhara in Varanasi there is special shrine dedicated to Naga Raja (King of Snakes) where a bowl is suspended above the image of the snake and milk is poured into it so that it trickle over the snake god as a form of an offering. On this day snake charmers are everywhere in towns and villages displaying snakes in their baskets which will have all types of snakes such as pythons, rat snakes, and cobras mingled together. Some of the snake charmers hang limp snakes around their neck and crowds gather to witness these scenes. The snakes in the basket are also worshipped on the occasion. However, in Punjab this festival is celebrated in a different month and in a different format, in the month of Bhadra (September–October) and is called Guga Nauvami (ninth day of lunar month during bright half of Moon). On this occasion an image of snake is made with dough and kept in a “winnowing basket” and taken round the village. Villagers offer flour and butter as oblation to the image. At the end of