The wedding took place on Wednesday near the state capital, Bhubaneshwar, with nearly 2,000 people celebrating the event, believing that the union would bring good fortune to the village.

Thirty-year-old Bimbala Das was married to the creature by Hindu priests in an hour-long ceremony, the PTI news agency reported.

Since the snake, which lives in an ant-hill, was not present, a brass replica of the serpent was kept by the bride’s side.

“Though snakes cannot speak nor understand, we communicate in a peculiar way. Whenever I put milk near the ant hill where the cobra lives, it (the snake) always comes out to drink,” Das was quoted by the news agency as saying.

She said the cobra never harmed her.

Villagers were thrilled when Das confessed her love for the snake. Some even offered to arrange a grand feast.

Das’s mother and relatives were happy with her choice as well and have constructed a hut near the ant-hill where the woman now plans to live.

Marriages between humans and other living beings are not uncommon in India. A tribal girl was married to a dog near Bhubaneshwar recently.