Villagers from Kanakapura came upon a seven-headed snakeskin next to a temple. The sighting caused a stir as the locals believed the serpent exists as a deity affiliated to the temple.

The idea of a seven-headed serpent is a part of Hindu mythology hence the intrigue in the find. People from other villages in the vicinity have already begun streaming to the Marigowdana Doddi village to see the serpent’s skin after news of the discovery went viral on social media.

The village is located around 60 km from Bengaluru city.

Some of those paying tribute have offered 'Kumkum' and 'Haldi' rituals around the snakeskin.

Folklore suggests the deity Sheesha is represented as a huge snake that floats in a coiled position in space or an ocean and forms the bed on which Vishnu sleeps.

The snake deity is depicted with many heads, though the estimation is it has seven. So it was seen as a miracle for Kanakapura village members to find snakeskin of a serpent that so closely embodied the attributes of the deity.

The thing that made this discovery more intriguing was the fact it was near the temple in a field 10 feet away from the shrine to commemorate the god.

Even before the discovery, the locals believed the place to have great reverence or power, and so they built the temple to Sheesha there.

The discovery of the snake has vindicated these beliefs. There are subject authorities, though, who have dismissed the potential for such a creature to exist.

Snake expert Ramu claimed two-headed snakes could occur in nature, and their prevalence is common. That would be the equivalent of conjoined twins in the human population.

He connected that occurrence to a deformity. On the other hand, a seven-headed snake would not be possible as it would be beyond the bounds of science.

He did acknowledge the reluctance of the villagers to believe that, though.

It is not the first time the phenomenon has happened. Locals reiterate a similar snakeskin was found in the area six months ago. That happened in May, and videos of the skin were spread on social media.

Several sightings of seven-headed snakes have also been reported over the years. There has yet to be proof, however, that one exists.

Polycephaly or the state of having several heads is a phenomenon that happens in the animal world according to the fact-checking site, Snopes. Though the highest proven number is three heads and that is quite rare.

There is no documented case of a live animal that was born with more than three heads.

snakeskin-3376211_640
Snakeskin Pixabay