naga

Nagas are powerful serpent spirits that live in lakes, rivers, and seas. In Indian religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism, nagas are believed to control rain, and therefore agricultural prosperity. Nagas can be helpful or harmful, and there are many stories and rituals involving them. Indian Buddhist tales about nagas have been assimilated to similar beings in indigenous Tibetan, Chinese, and Mongol mythologies, including Tibetan serpent-spirits (Tib. “lu”) and Chinese dragons (Ch. “long”). A female naga is called a “nagini,” while the kings of the nagas are called “nagarajas.”