Snake charming in
present-day India.
John McGrath investigates the decline of an age-old form of street
entertainment, and the repercussions for its traditional exponents.
the snake charmer
implored, gesturing to a dirty
piece of cloth on the footpath
next to him. No sooner had I
done so than he plucked a flat-
tened basket from the ground at
his feet and waved a cobra - with
hood spread and standing up
about 30cm high – in front of my
face; ‘This snake is my family.
You touch! Touch!’
Snake charming probably arose
in India, which is hardly surprising
given that the blue-skinned Lord
Shiva, one of the most auspicious
of the Hindu gods, is routinely
depicted with a King Cobra slung
around his neck. The fifth month
of the Hindu calendar, Shravan or
Sawan, is littered with celebra-
tions to pay homage to Shiva,
and this presents plenty of
opportunities for snake charmers,
or saperas, to ply their trade
around Shiv temples. There is
even a special festival, Nag
Panchimi, in which effigies of
serpents are worshipped, and
bathed in milk. privileged standing as holy men
and traditional healers. Much like
Australia’s travelling ‘snake men’
of yesteryear, their entertainment
value was complemented by their
supposed ability to treat snake
bite and remove serpents from
around dwellings, from which
they derived an income.
In fact, snakes are traditionally
accorded special status and
widely associated with fertility
and healing in many cultures, so
it was natural for the practice of
snake charming to spread
through Asia, the Middle East
and North Africa, with the earliest
records apparently emanating
from Ancient Egypt. The snake
charmers of antiquity enjoyed a In India and neighbouring coun-
tries, snake charming became an
occupation associated with
specific castes, and something
that was handed down in an
almost obligatory fashion from
father to son. In this region,
saperas usually dress rather
conspicuously in a white turban
accessorised with extravagant
earrings and necklaces of shells
This page: the city of Jaipur is
home to some of the most iconic
historic buildings in India.
Opposite: a group of saperas can
often be found behind the city
palace. Image by John McGrath.