MAHOTTARI: It has been a regular phenomenon since almost three weeks that hundreds of people flock to Gaurishankar VDC in Sarlahi on a daily basis to view an almost nine-foot long snake that has taken shelter there for long.

The people perceive the snake as Naag Devata (the mythical snake-god) and pay homage by offering milk, other food items and money.

Around 5,000 people visit the area to see the snake on a daily basis, local people said.

Around Rs 21,000 has been collected as offering so far, said a local resident Talak Bahadur Magar.

He said that interestingly the snake that is residing in a quarter of the forest guard of the District Forest Office, Sarlahi, at Banke Chowk for the past 18 days, does not respond to human touches.