Manasa Devi

Manasā Devī

Manasā is the snake-goddess of Bengal, one of the most characteristic divinities of Bengali religious life, especially among the farmer and fisher communities of rural Bengal, Bihar, and Bangladesh. Her worship reaches peak intensity during the monsoon, when cobras are active and snake-bite deaths spike.

Tribal-to-Puranic integration

Manasā's origin appears to be pre-Brahminical tribal. In the Purāṇas she was gradually integrated as the daughter of Śiva (or in some versions of Kaśyapa), and sister of Vāsuki, king of serpents. The Manasā-Maṅgala epic literature (15th–18th c.) is devoted entirely to establishing her worship in Bengal — the central theme being the grudging acceptance of her divinity by orthodox-Shaiva householders.

Behulā-Lakhindara

The core Manasā story — Cāṇda Saudāgar's refusal, Lakhindara's snakebite death, Behulā's six-month river journey with her husband's corpse, her appeal to the gods — is one of the most celebrated narratives in Bengali literature. It has been retold by:

• Vijaya Gupta (c. 1494 CE, oldest surviving text)
• Bipradās Pipilāī (c. 1495 CE)
• Ketakādās Kṣemānanda (18th c.)
• Jasimuddin (20th c., adapted as Nakshi Kanthar Math)

Behulā's fidelity and refusal to accept her husband's death is read in modern Bengali culture as a foundational image of female agency against patriarchal erasure — she argues with the gods and wins.

Ritual life

Manasā Pūjā is observed on Nāga Pañcamī (Śrāvaṇa Pañcamī, July–August) across Bengal:

• Terracotta or shola-pith mañca (throne) with the goddess seated on a lotus, cobras around her
• Offering of milk (dugdha-sneha) poured at snake-holes
• Recitation of Manasā-Maṅgala all night
• Women fast and pray for family protection from snakebite

Taboos

Manasā's worship retains its non-Brahminical character. She is often the grāma-devī (village goddess) of non-Brahmin communities. Orthodox Brahmins historically refused to officiate at her pūjā; ritual is conducted by women, farmers, and fisher-caste priests.