Their real function is primarily to hunt snakes out of the villages at harvest time and in the rainy season, and to cure bites that represent a significant mortality rate in villages in India. The snake or "Naga" is considered a deity by these castes and the rural population, and is the subject of various religious cults. The most common is the deity Gogaji, a small temple of which can be found in the village of Sekawadah. The temple is maintained by one of the members of the group, himself a Bhopa dedicated to this deity.

Gogaji was a disciple of Gorakhnath who lived in the 10th century, himself a disciple of Matsyendranath, the activist saint who fought for the equality of castes. Gorakhnath is also the guru of Nath Jogis.

“Two identically built sisters bearing the same face married the same king, but neither of them was able to give birth to a child. The elder of the two decided to go and see the great master Gorakhnath to ask him to use his powers so that she could give birth. The guru asked her to come back later to grant her wish. The younger of the two, who had been secretly following her sister, heard the conversation and presented herself in her sister’s place. Gorakhnath , believing he was dealing with the elder sister, gave her the ability to give birth. When the elder sister returned, Gorakhnath , despite his mistake, refused to give her a favour that he could only grant once. The younger sister thus gave birth to twins.

The furious elder sister came back to see Gorakhnath , who, thanks to his supernatural powers, made a snake enter the woman’s belly. Thus Gogaji was born. The king, according to tradition, had to give succession to the son of his elder wife, meaning Gogaji. The latter thus became king when it was his turn. The twins Arjan and Serjan were furious, and confronted Gogaji, who defeated and killed them. His mother, offended by such fratricide, drove him out of court. Desperate, Gogaji went to confide in Gorakhnath , who advised him to strive for death according to the act of “somadi”, a true ritual suicide. Gogaji rode into the forest and after digging a hole pushed his body into the earth. Only his head stuck out. A cow passed by and gave of its milk so that he could survive. Miraculously, Gogaji transformed into a snake and wrapped himself around the cow’s neck.”

Out of respect, you should never kill a snake. The snake is the object of a secret pact. You can remove its venom by cutting through its teeth, but once the teeth grow back, the snake is given its freedom.

The Madaris are the Muslim branch of this speciality. Their spiritual master is Bazi-ul-Din Shah also known as Zinda Shah Madar. He was born in Aleppo, in 1050, and his disciples can be found as far as in Egypt with the Halab (from Aleppo) clans and the Masalibs.

The Jogis Nats, Kalbelyas and Saperas, also present in this show, form another branch of this tradition.

The famous Pulluvans of Kerala, bards and poets, are also followers of the God Naga. They are specialised in exorcism rituals associated with snakes, during which they perform magnificent “kalam”, ephemeral paintings, painted on the ground using grains of rice, during trance ceremonies.

The Nayiks, during their dance, maintain the bitten person awake to stop the venom from spreading too quickly through the patient’s body and so that they can take care of him using specific plants.

The Derun, Dhaak or Hurukka, which gives its name to this tradition, is a small hourglass-shaped drum. The pressure of the two skins is altered through the tension of a leather cord.