Snakes are worshipped on this day. Snakes according to Hindus are powerful Gods, some well disposed towards humans, other malevolent. The fifth day of Shravan is dedicated to them and they are worshipped in various ways. In South India, where snake worship is very common, people, feed snakes. They offer milk and fruits. On Nagpanchmi it is forbidden to plough field. A legend says that a farmer while ploughing his field accidentally killed some serpents with the ploughshare. In retaliation the mother of the serpents killed the farmer. Not content with this the mother went to the farmer’s house and bit everybody there except a girl who was worshipping a serpent at that moment. On seeing the devotion of the girl towards her tribe, the serpent was pleased and repenting on her rash act, revived the farmer and his family by a charm she possessed.