Naga attendant holding a fly whisk

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The semidivine celebrant here is an anthropomorphic depiction of a serpent deity (naga), identifiable by the cobra hoods rising above his head. He is attired in a princely manner, wearing enormous conical earplugs (compare to those displayed nearby). The assimilation of nagas into Buddhism is a recurring theme in early religious literature. Associated with water and its riches, nagas represent one of the most powerful of the nature spirits that controlled the spiritual landscape of pre-Buddhist India. It was thus essential for monks to subjugate the power of the nagas; to this end Buddhist rituals evolved to influence the coming of the rains.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art