All Nagas in Hindu Mythology Explained

King of Nagas, used as the rope in the churning of the cosmic ocean

Vasuki is among the most prominent Nagas in the Puranas — the serpent king who was coiled around Mount Mandara as the churning rope during the Samudra Manthan. He resides in Patala, the underworld. Though used by both gods and demons, he is considered a devotee of Shiva, often depicted around Shiva's neck.

Cosmic serpent on whom Vishnu rests; supports the universe

Shesha, also called Ananta (the infinite), is the primordial serpent on whose coils Vishnu reclines in the cosmic ocean during the intervals between creation cycles. He is not bound to the earth or the underworld — he is the foundation of the universe itself. At the end of each cosmic age, he exhales the fire that destroys all creation.

King of the Nagas of Taksha-shila; bites Parikshit in the Mahabharata

Takshaka is the Naga most explicitly associated with death in the epic tradition. He is the one who, at the instigation of a curse, bites and kills King Parikshit — an act that triggers the Snake Sacrifice (Sarpa Satra) of Janamejaya and provides the framing narrative for the entire Mahabharata as told by Vyasa.

Goddess of snakes; daughter of Shiva and sister of Vasuki

Manasa is a popular goddess across Bengal, Assam, and Bihar — worshipped at Naga Panchami and throughout the monsoon season when snakebite risk peaks. She is described as half-divine, born from a lotus or from Shiva's mind (manas), and perpetually in conflict with a mortal woman named Behula whose husband she kills. The Manasamangal Kavya tells her story in verse.

Serpent maidens — beautiful women from the waist up, serpents below

The Naga Kanya (serpent maiden) is a recurring figure in folklore across the subcontinent — half-human, half-serpent, capable of granting wealth and healing to those who win their favour, and catastrophically dangerous to those who betray them. They appear in Tamil, Telugu, Kashmiri, and northeastern hill traditions as well as mainstream Sanskrit literature.

Poisonous Naga of the Yamuna, defeated by Krishna

Kaliya is the serpent king who poisoned the Yamuna river at Vrindavan until Krishna danced on his hoods to subdue him. This episode — the Kaliya Daman — is one of the most depicted in Indian sculpture and painting. Kaliya is not killed but expelled to the ocean, which frames the encounter as an act of purification rather than destruction.

Naga Panchami

Naga Panchami falls on the fifth day of Shravan's bright fortnight — the height of the Indian monsoon, the season when cobras are driven from their burrows by flooding groundwater and human-serpent contact peaks. The festival is simultaneously practical (propitiation against snakebite) and devotional (honouring the Naga deities who support cosmic order).

In Bengal, Naga Panchami is inseparable from the worship of Manasa, the serpent goddess. In Maharashtra it is celebrated in villages with live cobras brought to temples. In Uttarakhand, Naga Panchami marks the beginning of a season in which Naga shrines in the hills are opened and offerings made.

Documented Naga Encounters

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