India is home to numerous festivals. While some are popular across the country, some are celebrated locally. One such festival is Gugga Naumi.

Gugga Naumi is a snake-worshipping festival. The religious festival is celebrated all around Haryana in the months of August and September. The festival is also celebrated in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab.

The festival Guggaa Naumi is celebrated to honor Gugga Ji, a warrior king. It falls on the ninth day of the month of Bhadon. In Rajasthan, he is known as Goga Ji.

According to the tales, Gugga was a warrior king born in the Churu district of Rajasthan. Gugga Ji is known to protect his devotees against snake bites and is worshipped in shrines that do not look similar to any religious figure.

He is also a saint and is known as Goga, Gugga Pir, Gugga Rana, Gugga Bir, and Jahan Veer Gogga, among others. Gogagji was the ruler of Dadrewa in Rajsthan. It is believed that he ruled around the 12th Century AD, which makes him a contemporary of another Rajasthani warrior, the famous Prithvi Raj Chauhan.

Gogga Ji, it is believed was born due to the blessings of Baba Gorakhnath, who gave 'Gugal' fruit to Goga's mother Bacchal, and thus the child was named Goga. Another belief is that Goga was so named because he loved cows dearly and looked after them with great care and affection.

Gugga Naumi

The cult of Goga falls within the realms of folk religion which ensures that he has a following among all faiths. Generally worshipped as a demi-god, Goga is believed to protect his followers from snake bites and other types and forms of evils. He is particularly popular amongst followers of the Naga cult.

Guga Ji was initially a deity in Rajasthan. But, records suggest that since the 17th century, Goga is worshipped in Western Himalayas—probably because of his migration from Rajasthan.

Goga enjoys unbridled popularity amongst farmers as snakebite incidents and deaths are frequent occurrences in agricultural farmlands. Amongst Muslims, he is known as a pir (saint) who possesses the powers to eliminate the effects of Zahar (poison). His shrine, known as ‘Medi’, consists of a Mazar (grave) inside and minarets on all four corners, resembling Islamic architecture.

Devotees worship a black snake (his symbol) on the 9th of Bhadra and roam with a fly-flap object known as chhari around the village. Villagers pay their reverence by offering churma—a dish made of crushed wheat cooked along with jaggery and ghee. Devotional songs known as Pir ke Solle are sung in his honor atop the beating of deroos by the Savayian community. People also untie their rakhi on this day to offer it to Gogaji.

Goga Fair

On the occasion of Gugga Naumi, the Goga fair is held at his samadhi sthal Gogamedi. The fair is attended by thousands of devotees from across Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. Thaneek Pura in Himachal Pradesh is the venue of Gugga Navami.

Large-scale fairs and other cultural events are conducted in a three-day affair as part of Goga Fair. The tale of Guga Ji is recited during the festival. To honor Gogal Ji, devotees go from door to door collecting grains on Chhat (a wooden umbrella) from Raksha Bandhan till Gugga Naumi.

Gugga Mela- The highlight of the Guga Naumi festival celebration is the Gugga Mela. It is organized in various cities including, Bikaner, Asadpur, Bawal, etc. Bamboo sticks with flumes of peacock and a blue flag with colored threads are used as the medium of celebration. The fans carry out a procession on the ninth day with drums across the village. Reverence is offered in the form of “Churma” and “Sevian” by the saints.

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