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Anantashayana Vishnu (Vishnu Lounging on the Celestial Serpent Sheshanaga or Ananta) A Passionate Eye: Textiles, Paintings and Sculptures from the Bharany Donation  (2014) [Exhibition], National Museum, New Delhi  Source: Dr. Richa Singh Vishnu, as the" Preserver of the Universe" in Hindu mythology, took on the form of the avataras, his earthly incarnations, to aid humanity at times of severe adversity. Though the number and identities of Vishnu's incarnations vary. For example, the Sanskrit text Satvata Samhita  one of the earliest agamas or the post-Buddhist scriptures from the Pancharatra agamas , an older collection of Vaishnava texts, enumerates as many as 39 incarnatory forms of Vishnu, including Ananta or Shesha, the Naga who is considered Vishnu's serpent mount on which he rests in eternal yogic sleep in the "Anantashayana" position. Interestingly, some lists incorporate spiritual teachers of the Shramanic movement or heterodox sects that emerged du...

Basaveshwara Gayathri Temple Complex,  Bengaluru, Karnataka Source: Dr. Richa Singh J. K. Rowling, British author stated in a tweet that "the Naga are snake-like mythical creatures of Indonesian mythology, hence the name 'Nagini.'" Amish Tripathi, the writer of the bestseller Shiva trilogy, responded to Rowling's tweet with the following: "Actually @jk_rowling the Naga mythology emerged from India. It travelled to Indonesia with the Indic/Hindu empires that emerged there in the early Common Era, with the influence of Indian traders and Rishis/Rishikas who travelled there. Nagin is a Sanskrit language word.” Nagini is Lord Voldemort's snake in the Harry Potter series. However, few people are familiar with or have a thorough understanding of the concept of the naga despite the fact that nagas are part of a number of traditions across the world and definitely, its origin goes back to India.  Nagas are strong, semi-divine serpents that guard the earth's r...