There are three most important snake kings in Indian culture, namely the snake king Naga, Shesha or Ananta, which means immortal. There are also two other snake kings, Vasuki and Samudra Manthan. In Indian mythology, the snake king Vasuki, is worshiped as the pillar of creation in the event of churning the sea of the universe by good and evil gods.
Naga Panchami is a traditional Hindu festival held annually in India. During this festival, devotees offer milk, flowers and pray to the Naga god for protection from snake bites, fertility and good harvests.
In Buddhist scriptures, the snake king Nagaraja is mentioned frequently. Snake kings often appeared to listen to Gautama Buddha's teachings, as well as to protect him when he preached.
In Champa culture, the snake king Nagaraja appeared very early in a stone inscription in the early 5th century discovered in Dong Yen Chau, a relic only about one kilometer west of Tra Kieu.
According to epigraphers, compared to other indigenous Austronesian languages, this is the earliest ancient Cham inscription in Southeast Asia. Notably, the element of the name of the snake king Nagaraja in ancient Cham indicates that the worship of the snake king was popular in Champa in the period before the 5th century, possibly at the same time as King Pham Ho Dat or Bhadravarman, who reigned around 380 - 413, who founded the royal sanctuary of Bhadresvara or My Son.
Fortunately, a statue of the Nagaraja snake king, dating back to the Dong Yen Chau inscription, was discovered by H. Parmentier in Tower Group A of the My Son Temple Complex in 1903. Recently, this statue was rediscovered by Indian restoration experts in 2019 and is being preserved at the My Son Museum.
The statue is made from a rare type of stone in Cham sculpture, possibly white marble, and is placed on a sandstone drainage pedestal. Nagaraja sits under a canopy of five-headed snakes, in a sitting position with his arms spread wide on his lap, similar to Cham statues dating back to the 6th - 7th centuries. He has his hair tied up in a high bun, and behind his head there are two small holes that may have been used to fasten an ornament bearing the snake symbol of the Naga clan, which often appears on statues of snake kings in Indian art. This is the only Nagaraja statue discovered at My Son.
Along with the Nagaraja statue in My Son, another Nagaraja statue was also discovered at Po Nagar Tower in Nha Trang. This statue was also crafted around the 6th - 7th century. Thus, it can be concluded that the snake king Nagaraja, with the mission of protecting the Champa royal family, was worshiped simultaneously at two royal sanctuaries in the north as well as the south of the kingdom.
In addition, another sandstone statue of Nagaraja, which can be found in Quang Nam region around the 8th century. The statue is still clear, showing the god in a kneeling position, two hands clasped in front of the chest, showing respect to the gods or the royal family (?). Dressed in a royal style, wearing many jewelry. These Nagaraja idols prove that the Nagaraja belief to protect the kingship and royal family of Champa was widely popular in this kingdom for many centuries.
In the 7th century, in a stele at Mỹ Sơn erected during the reign of King Prakāśadharma in 658, the king emphasized his noble lineage in the Brahmin royal family through the marriage between Kaundinya and Soma, whose princess Soma was the daughter of the snake king Nagaraja.
The king also praised the marriage between his father, King Jaggaddharman, who traveled to the city of Bhavapura in Cambodia, to marry his mother, Princess Sri Sarvani, the daughter of the Khmer king Isanavarman, who was a blood relative of Princess Soma. Thus Nagaraja had a prominent place in the Champa royal religion.
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/vua-ran-nagaraja-3148354.html
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