The Nagas in Ancient India
The Nagas are borne of Lord Brahma, who lay down while doing the work of creation and dropped hair from his body that transformed into snakes. Even while his body crawled along with its hands and feet contracted, there sprang from it ferocious serpents and Nagas with their hoods expanded. The Uragas are also serpentine beings, who are not exactly demigods but between the demigods and human beings.
In the realm of the asuras, the abode of the Nagas is described in numerous passages from the Bhagavatam.
Srimad-Bhagavatam 1:11:11
"The Nagaloka planet is situated below the earth planet, and it is understood that the sun rays are hampered there. The darkness of the planet is, however, removed by the flashes of the jewels set on the heads of the Nagas (celestial serpents), and it is said that there are beautiful gardens, rivulets, etc., for the enjoyment of the Nagas. It is understood here also that the place is well protected by the inhabitants."
Canto 5, Chapter 24 of Srimad Bhagavatam further describes 'The Subterranean Heavenly Planets', and the abode of Nagaloka:
Srimad Bhagavatam 5.24.31
tato 'dhastat patale naga-loka-patayo vasuki-pramukhah sankha-kulika-mahasankha-s
"Beneath Rasatala is another planetary system, known as Patala or Nagaloka, where there are many demoniac serpents, the masters of Nagaloka, such as Sankha, Kulika, Mahasankha, Sveta, Dhananjaya, Dhrtarastra, Sankhacuda, Kambala, Asvatara and Devadatta. The chief among them is Vasuki. They are all extremely angry, and they have many, many hoods -- some snakes five hoods, some seven, some ten, others a hundred and others a thousand. These hoods are bedecked with valuable gems, and the light emanating from the gems illuminates the entire planetary system of bila-svarga."
Valmiki's Ramayana (Book 6, Yuddha kanda, Sarga 7) also describes the residence of the Nagas, as Bhogavati city, their abode in Patala. Here, the asuras are speaking to inspire Ravana with these words:
"Oh, king! Our army, equipped with iron bars (parigha shakti), javelins (shuula), double edged swords (pattasa), darts and sharp-edged spears, is very great. Why are you getting worried? After proceeding to Bhogavati city (the abode of the Nagas in Patala, one of the seven regions under the earth), the serpents there were defeated by you. Kubera (the bestower of riches) who resides on the peak of Mount Kailasa, surrounded by many yakshas surrendered to you after doing a great battle."
The links of naga with s'ankha and riches (Kubera's s'ankha nidhi) points to the people who were s'ankha workers. On the earth planet, this S'ankhadvipa is not far from the mouth of the Rivers Narmada and Tapati, which emanate from the region where the Naga are venerated, surrounding the nearby irrigation tanks of Vidisha. The link with maritime people who created the Sarasvati civilization is clearly indicated by these metaphors.
Besnagar, in the Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh, is also identified with ancient Vidisa (Nagara), and is renowned in ancient literature as the capital of Akara and Dasawa. It is a centre of cultural activities, with trade routes passing through it. Cunningham discovered the famous Heliodoros pillar there (recently mentioned in another Sun series). More systematic excavations in the area in 1963-5 by M.D. Khare [1] brought to light the following sequence of cultures. This places the Naga on an historical timeline established by archeologists, which is interesting when compared to the timeline according to sastric references:
Period I A - with pre-pottery non-geometric microliths
Period I B - with pre-pottery geometric microliths
Period II A - Chalcolithic
Period II B - Chalcolithic but with the PGW (painted gray ware)
Period III A - pre-NBPW
Period III B - NBPW (northern black polished ware)
Period III C - Sunga-Satavahana
Period IV A - Naga-Kushan
Period IV B - Ksatrapa, Gupta
Period V - Late historical
Period VI - Medieval and modem
On the analogy of either Mesolithic sites, the period may be dated to c. 5000 B.C. The dates of the lower and upper limits of the Chalcolithic deposit may be worked out as c. 1800 to 900 B.C. based on the analogy of Kayatha and other Chalcolithic sites of central India and the upper Deccan. While Period III A is marked by the continuity of the black-and-red ware and by the presence of a negligible quantity of iron, the 14 C dates being 2420 + 105, 2350 + l00 and 2260 + I40 B.P., Period III B has punch-marked and Vidisa city-state coins, terracotta mother goddesses, a large number of iron objects and the NBPW.
The Nagas of Padmavati
The Nagas of Padmavati are also known as the Nagas of Narwar. Naga kings are known to have ruled from Padmavati, Kantipuri, Mathura and Vidisha. Thus far, twelve Naga rulers are known from these places. One of the most common types of historical evidence of their rule is found on coinage of the day. Following are some of the designs typically found on the obverse (face) of the Naga coins
One important that's been cataloged is the copper coin issued by Ganapati Naga, c. 340 A.D. On the obverse of the coin is a brahmana bull standing within a dotted crescent. On the verso (reverse side) is an inscription in Brahmi script, which states "Maharaja Shri Ganendra". This is a rare example where the full inscription is still readable on a Naga coin of this era.
Vidisha, Sanchi and Udayagiri complex, together with Dhar, Mandu and Eran, all in Madhya Pradesh, have yielded ancient metallic objects (exemplified by the Delhi iron pillar), which have been investigated by archaeo-metallurgical teams led by Prof. Balasubramaniam of IIT, Kanpur and Dr. Anand M. Sharan of Memorial University of Newfoundland. After all, the Delhi iron pillar was made in Udayagiri, Sanchi and the pillar is shaped like the Heliodorus pillar. One is made of non-rusting iron, the other of stone. Both are a celebration of a unique, unparalleled technological heritage combined with the dharma-dhamma civilizational. The unique monuments of Vedic civilization exemplify the merging of artha, wealth and dharma as purushartha (goals of life).
By making a study of the many artistic representations of personalities in the Naga line, crafted in various materials and mediums that are specific to certain historical eras, it is possible to gather significant evidence of the Naga role in Vedic culture and civilization.
Sastric and historical references to the Naga kings and their descending lines.
The country known as Cambodia today was previously known as Kambuja, associated with the name of a great brahmana, Kambu. Kambu had once been an Indian king who led a successful campaign into the East. His victorious expedition (digvijaya) in the East culminated with his party's entrance into a region of jungles that were ruled by a Naga king. Defeating the king, Kambu married his daughter and remained there to develop the area. The combination of the names 'Kambu' and 'Mera' is thought to be the origination of the name Khmer.
The beginning of the Kambuja empire can be traced to Emperor Shrutavarma of Kaliyuga's 32nd century (the 1st century A.D.) Shrutavarma and his descendant kings carried aloft the flag of sanatana-dharma and Vedic culture in the Kambuja empire. Later, from Kaliyuga's 38th to 46th centuries (7th to 15th c. A.D.), the kings of the Shailendra dynasty ruled over Kambuja.
The Nagas are much more prominent in modern Cambodian culture and in nearby countries than in India today. Cambodian Nagas look quite different from the typical representations found in India, where the Nagas are generally shown like Sesanaga, being multi-headed or standing with collar fully extended. In Cambodia, however, the Nagas are generally more frightening and often associated with flames, like many of the Buddhist Nagas are depicted.
According to their tradition, the Cambodian people as a race were born of the Naga Princess who married Kambu, the Indian brahmana, thus creating the merged line of humans and reptilians. Even today, Cambodians describe themselves as being "born from the Naga".
Many of the Naga depictions found in Cambodia, such as those at the famous Angkor Wat temple region, are seven-headed serpents. They represent the seven different races said to be found in the Naga society.
The mixed human and Naga lines emerging in Cambodia are but one of numerous instances where these two races crossed. Some of the others include:
Naga Nahusha, who is also mentioned as a king in the Lunar Dynasty of Arya kings
King Riksha of the Puru race, a branch of the Lunar Dynasty, said to have married the daughter of a Naga in the line of Takshaka
Naga Aryaka was the grandfather of Queen Kunti's father
Iravat was the son of Arjuna and a Naga woman named Uloopi, born in the lineage of Airavata
The Sage Somasrava, a priest of Janamejaya, was the son of Srutasrava brahmana and his Naga wife
Sage Astika was the son of a sage in the line of the Yayavara brahmanas, and his Naga wife, who was the sister of Vasuki. The boy was raised in the palace of the Nagas, and helped prevent the destruction of the Naga race at the hand of Janamejaya.
In Kerala, the Namboodiris married Naga women, known as the Nakar women, thus creating the Nair caste of Kerala.
Among the large collection of Khmer artifacts held at the Guimet Museum of Asian Art in Paris is the extraordinary Naga pictured below. It was re-assembled and put on display in 2001 for the first time since 1889, when a French expedition brought the carving back to France from Cambodia, in pieces.
Source: Sampradaya Sun
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