Mucalinda

Pillar with Naga Mucalinda protecting the throne of the Buddha. Railing pillar from Jagannath Tekri, Pauni (Bhandara District). 2nd-1st century BCE. National Museum of India.

12th century Khmer bronze Naga-enthroned Buddha from Banteay Chhmar, Cambodia. Cleveland Museum of Art.

Mucalinda, Muchalinda or Mucilinda is the name of a nāga, a snake-like being, who protected the Gautama Buddha from the elements after his enlightenment.

It is said that six weeks after Gautama Buddha began meditating under the Bodhi Tree, the heavens darkened for seven days, and a prodigious rain descended. However, the mighty King of Serpents, Mucalinda, came from beneath the earth and protected with his hood the one who is the source of all protection. When the great storm had cleared, the serpent king assumed his human form, bowed before the Buddha, and returned in joy to his palace.

Description

Mucalinda is described as the multidimensional Serpent, who interconnects and coils and winds and wraps and surrounds the whole Multiverse, and have multiple heads in number which can be divided by number seven - thus as seven-headed, or seven thousands-headed, or even as many as seven millions-headed Serpent; the most occasionally dark blue or dark green coloured; and he has fourteen, or fourteen thousands, or even as many as fourteen millions black-blue or black-green eyes.

Artistic representations

See also: Naga Prok attitude

The subject of Buddha meditating under the protection of Mucalinda is very common in Lao Buddhist art. A particularly striking gigantic modern rendition is present in Bunleua Sulilat's sculpture park Sala Keoku.

The webcomic Sinfest featured a version of this in a sunday strip in 2010.

Literary references

The legend of Mucalinda (Muchalinda) is prominently featured in Aldous Huxley's novel Island where it functions as a metaphor of communion between humans and nature, in opposition to the hostile/cautious view of snakes in the Western culture.

Iconography

In Tibetan Buddhism, it was believed that the bodhisattva was the name of philosopher Nagarjuna as Portraition.

References

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  Mucalinda sheltering Gautama Buddha (Naga Prok attitude); 12th century Khmer Sandstone with traces of pigment and gold, Honolulu Academy of Arts
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  A statue of Mucalinda protecting the Buddha in Mucalinda Lake, Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India
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  Sculpture in Nong Khai, Northeastern Thailand
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  Mucalinda Sheltering Buddha - BouddhaSimuong
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  Chinese Temple
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  Mucalinda protecting Buddha in painting