Kherepati Mandir Kanpur

Mauni Ghat, Vishnu Puri, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh

This temple is guarded by wish-fulfilling snakes, a ‘snake fair’ is organized on Nag Panchami.
There is a unique temple in Kanpur, UP where a fair of snakes is held. It is believed that the Shiva temple here is guarded by the Ichchhadhari Naag-Nagins themselves. Although no one has seen it till date. People believe that snakes and serpents, in some form or the other, are always sitting outside the temple. People also say that the temple was built years ago by Daityaguru Shukracharya.

There is hundreds of years old Kherepati temple in Patkapur area of ​​Kanpur. On any Monday of Sawan, on the day of Nag Panchami, the well-wishers definitely come to the temple to have darshan and worship of Shivalinga. Temple experts say that Guru Shukracharya’s daughter Devyani was married to King Aditya of Jajmau. Once he was going to meet his daughter.
He stopped to rest for some time near Kherpati temple. During this time he fell asleep. Lord Sheshnath appeared to him in his dream and ordered him to build a Shiva temple at that place. Sheshnath said that Daitya Guru should get Shivling established here, in which I myself will reside. After waking up, Shukracharya established Shivalinga there as per the orders of Sheshnath and got the temple constructed. In this temple, in the month of Sawan, Shivalinga is beautifully decorated and worshipped.
It is said that whenever the priest here opens the doors of the temple, two fresh flowers are definitely found placed on the head of Sheshnag. Along with this, puja material is also found offered to Lord Shiva. The priest even says that after the temple is closed late at night, all the flowers are removed, then who comes early in the morning to offer flowers while the doors of the temple remain closed.
It is said about the temple that once Nanarao Peshwa used to come to worship in this temple every Monday. Once the British army chased them and surrounded them. Nanarao came to Kherepati Shiva temple while escaping. As soon as the British army entered the temple to capture them, hundreds of snakes came out from all sides. Seeing them the British army had fled there.
Every year on Nag Panchami, a snake fair is organized in this temple. In the fair, snake charmers from India and abroad come here with their snakes. The big specialty of this Nag Mela is that the poisonous teeth of snakes are not broken. Till date no one has died due to snake bite in the vicinity of the temple.