Naga (Art by Igor Klymenko)
Naga, (Sanskrit: “serpent”) in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, are a class of mythical semi divine beings, half human and half serpent.
Description[]
The nāgas are described as the powerful, splendid, wonderful and proud semi-divine race that can assume their physical form either as human, partial human-serpent or the whole serpent. Their domain is in the enchanted underworld, the underground realm filled with gems, gold and other earthly treasures called Naga-loka or Patala-loka. They are also often associated with bodies of waters — including rivers, lakes, seas, and wells — and are guardians of treasure. Their power and venom made them potentially dangerous to humans.
Overview[]
The creator deity Brahma relegated the nagas to the nether regions when they became too populous on Earth and commanded them to bite only the truly malevolent or those destined to die prematurely. They are also associated with waters—rivers, lakes, seas, and wells—and are guardians of treasure. They are ruled over by "greater naga" known as Nagarajas which are usually kings but they can also be female nagas.
The nāgas are believed to both live in Nagaloka, a region which neighbors the kingdom of Agartha that resides in the Hollow Earth, and in various parts of the human-inhabited earth. Some of them are water-dwellers, living in streams or the ocean; others are earth-dwellers, living in caverns. The nāgas are the followers of Virūpākṣa, one of the Four Heavenly Kings who guards the western direction. They act as a guard upon Mount Sumeru, protecting the dēvas of Trāyastriṃśa from attack by the asuras. They also defended early human settlers from the Reptilians.
The female nagas (naginis or nagis) are serpent princesses of striking beauty (despite being half serpent). The dynasties of Manipur in northeastern India, the Pallavas in southern India, and the ruling family of Funan (ancient Indochina) each claimed an origin in the union of a human being and a nagi.
