A Comparative Study of the Culture and Oral Literature of the Snake Charmers of the South and Eastern India

This paper aims to show the relevance of the magic belief of the snake charmers of the Gangetic West Bengal and the southern states of India. Irulas, a tribal community of Tamil Nadu, Chengalpet region is mainly snake hunters. In Bengal these people belong to a specific tribe called ‘BEDE’ and they are doing this work from ancient time. These tribes are mainly wanderers. In South Asian countries we can find them in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malayasia etc. In North African countries of Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia this tradition is also practiced. On the other hand there are other specialized snake charmers in India who are not snake hunters. Key words: Benevolent and malevolent charm, rituals, performance, struggle of life.