Nāga
c. 500 BCE – 2026 CEattested
India and Southeast Asia
- Buddhist
- Hindu
Serpent beings who guard water, treasure and, in Buddhist tradition, texts too dangerous to release until the world is ready for them.
Known for
- guardians of water
- keepers of hidden texts
- shelter for the Buddha
Dates are estimates. A great deal of what this atlas covers is only datable to within a century.