User:Mspolia

I just want to add to the word, 'spolia'.

In Hindi language, 'spolia' means 'a baby snake'. It is also a 'surname'. It is actually my surname. This surname has nothing to do with snake charmers etc. Traditionally, we worshiped the snake deity as a demi-god and still do. 'We don't kill the snakes.' If and when confronted, we pray to them to leave us in peace. Snake worshiping is quite big in Jammu Kashmir region. And the 'spolias', i.e. people with the surname spolia, have been know to originate from a village called 'Spolia' near Jammu and spread from there, probably centuries ago. There are some in Punjab and in other parts of India. Spolias are Hindu Brahmins.

Spolia is a Hindi word. Snake in Hindi language is 'saamp' or 'sarpa'. The word 'sarpa' originated from Sanskrit. Since Hindi language comes from Sanskrit, many words are similar, such as 'sarpa', so to say that 'sarp' is the same in Hindi and Sanskrit.

Monika Spolia