AP Endowments Body To Conduct ‘Sarpayagam’ To Appease Snake Gods After Over 100 Get Bitten By Snakes 

The Andhra Pradesh Endowments Department will conduct a Sarpayagam and Sarpa Dosha Nivarana Pooja - rituals to appease snake gods- at Subramanyeswara Swamy temple in Krishna district’s Mopidevi after over 100 persons have suffered snake bites at Avanigadda. The move to conduct the pooja on 29 August has drawn criticism from those who believe in scientific methods to treat such bites.

At least two persons have lost their lives to snake bites in Krishna district. While one person died at Avanigadda, the other died at Gannavaram. Reports said that the Avanigadda government hospital received a large number of snake bite victims in the last fortnight. The reason for the increased snake bites is said to be the reptiles being forced to move to agricultural fields following heavy rains in the last two months.

The New Indian Express quoted district collector B Lakshmikantham as saying that everyone was trying to do his or her best to tackle the situation and the Endowments Department has come forward to do this pooja. The district administration is also providing Rs 2,000 as relief to each person bitten by a snake.

Homeopathic doctors are distributing “Naja-200” tablets but it being of no use for the bites of venomous snakes like Cobra and Rusell Viper, which are more common in the Avanigadda. The doctors are also prescribing another tablet - Drona - to combat snake bite.

Critics of the Endowments Department say that the move to hold the ritual promotes superstitious belief.