Snake charmer in Jaipur (India) in 2008 Snake charming is the practice of appearing to hypnotize a snake by playing and waving around, an instrument called pungi. The charmer typically sits out of biting range and the snake is sluggish and reluctant to attack anyway. Although snakes are able to sense sound, they lack the outer ear that would enable them to hear the music. They follow the pungi that the "snake charmer" holds with their hands. The snake considers the person and pungi a threat and responds to it as if it were a predatorHinduism has long held serpents to be sacred; the animals are believed to be related to the Nagas, and many gods are pictured under the protection of the cobra. Indians thus considered snake charmers to be holy men who were influenced by the gods.Many snake charmers live a wandering existence, visiting towns and villages on market days and during festivals.Despite a sort of golden age in the 20th century, snake charming is today in danger of dying out. This is due to a variety of factors, chief among them the recent enforcement of a 1972 law in India banning ownership of snakes.