Water god worship
The 7-headed Naga is the symbol of the primordial water god in the journey of creating the universe, the Ocean that wraps 9 times around the world sphere, the 10th time as the background. It is the god of all water on land or in the air, symbolized as the Mother River - the Divine River.
The water god worship of the rice-growing people is prominent with snakes, turtles, and water dragons, the pinnacle of which is the god Kim Quy, then the dragon with many incarnations (giao, cu, nghe, bo lao...). Influenced by Indianization from the South, Naga is a mythical snake god, with many strange shapes of human - snake, or human - god.
Naga in Tibetan Buddhism helps protect the Buddhist scriptures so that people can receive them. The 7-headed Naga is commonly seen in Angkor Thom temple. For the Khmer, Naga is a symbol of the rainbow - a magical bridge, the entrance to the land of the gods. In India, snakes always protect the Buddha until he enters Nirvana, so that Buddhists can worship.
Naga is considered by Hindus as the spirit of nature, the guardian god of water - the treasure, bringing rain to all things, as well as floods and droughts.
According to Tantra, the Kundalini snake coils at the base of the spine, above the chakra of the sleeping state, using its mouth to cover the tip of the penis; when awakened, the snake hisses and the body stiffens, continuously climbing the chakras, sexual energy rises, life is re-emerged.
In the macrocosm, Kundalini manifests as the serpent Ananta, coiled around the base of the world axis. Associated with Vishnu and Shiva, Ananta represents growth, the cyclical expenditure of energy, but to protect the angel, support and ensure the stability of the world.
The house is the center, so when building a house, Indians would drive a stake into the head of the Naga snake underground, in a place determined by the geomancer. The function of carrying the world belonged to the snake, later replaced by elephants, bulls, turtles, crocodiles, etc., so in Sanskrit, Naga is both an elephant and a snake.
Often, it is represented simply by a snout, at the head of a snake's body, or being lifted up by a snake…, to represent the mortal aspect, common with the aggressiveness, the manifest power of the great dark god.
The Naga couple in Hindu art is often depicted with their tails entwined in a knot, culminating in the swastika in Buddhist art. Not only is it the embodiment of Shiva or the protector of Buddha, the Naga is also a symbol and protector of the sacred Mount Meru from intruders and invaders.
Connecting spiritual and cultural life
In the system of odd-headed snake gods, the 7-headed Naga is a symbol of power and great strength, bringing a happy life and protecting people from water disasters.
Popular in Khmer culture is the image of the god lying curled up as a throne for the Buddha to meditate by the river, with seven heads raised as a canopy to protect him from the devil. This form may originate from the Brahman legend of the god Vishnu sleeping on the body of the snake god Naga. Thanks to that supernatural power, the seven-headed Naga is the powerful guardian of Buddha Shakyamuni.
The Three Water Generals help connect the sacred axis of Chua Mountain - Thu Bon River - Cu Lao Cham. According to the "Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi" of the Nguyen Dynasty, along the Thu Bon River there is An Son (Chua Mountain) due to the overwhelming presence of Ba Chua Ngoc; Cu Lao Cham has the temples of Phuc Ba Tuong Quan, Tu Duong Hau and Bich Tien; there is also a theory that there are temples of Cao Cac Dai Vuong, Phuc Ba Tuong Quan and Bo Bo Dai Vuong...
The belief in worshipping the water god is the source that connects the spiritual and cultural life of Quang Nam. Following the Thu Bon River, from Ai Nghia to Thanh Ha, to Cu Lao Cham, there are the Three Water Generals, three snake gods, who are sacred and personified in a very unique way.
The custom of snake worship in Thu Bon was Vietnamized through the document "Declaration of the story of the Three Water Generals during the Tu Duc period" (1867), in "Quang Nam province miscellaneous records". In Co Na area, Chau Lan lake, Ai Nghia commune, there is a sacred temple, the temple worships the Three Water Generals, who have the function of controlling the ocean waves. Phuc Ba is the snake god, not necessarily worshiping the god Ma Vien.
The snake god in the water god system is very important to the issue of pacifying the people before going to sea, in line with the message and mission of Phuc Ba. The 7-headed Naga snake god is a clear vestige of a Champa Buddhist temple that has been Vietnamized into Ba Chiem Son with many unique features in the worship setting, rituals and offerings, creating the sacred Ba Chiem Son festival (Duy Xuyen). The process of cultural contact and exchange between communities in the Central region has created unique cultural heritages, highlighting the profound and practical thoughts and needs of our ancestors to pacify the people.
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/than-ran-tren-song-me-thu-bon-3148352.html
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