Naga Cult and Wooden Art in India

Contents: Preface. Abbreviations. 1. Physical, ethnic and historical features of Jammu. 2. Naga cult. 3. History of Naga race. 4. Some legendary Nagas and Nagins. 5. Principal Naga Shrines in Jammu. 6. Naga iconography and wooden art. Bibliography.

"Naga cult had been a world wide phenomenon about its predominance in India, had been an interesting and curious subject of study. The strange shape, curious behaviour, multitude of superstitions and beliefs associated with this most dreaded animal of hot country like India, its dreaded poisonous character, and yet its so an honourable and respectful status in the socio-cultural and religious life and tradition of Indian folk, makes the snakelore or Naga cult, all the more interesting. The dual nature of Nagas both as Humans and serpents (animals), or as an ethenic race or as a totem, has made the study of Nagalore, a covered subject of study for both Indian or Non-Indian scholars, over the last one and a half century.

The study of serpentlore or Naga-cult, though a wider subject of study in the context of its being a world wide phenomenon and its wide spread prevalence in the whole of India, has a specific importance for the Jammu region. While the Naga worship and Naga traditions in Kashmir, India and erstwhile greater India, has now become extinct, or reduced to a negligible size, in their present day prevalent cultural traditions or cultural heritage of the people of those regions, its existence in Jammy hill region is greatly felt even today in the existence of scores of revered Naga shrines and other socio-religious traditions associated with Nagas of the region, as in the case of Karla Nag, Patnitop, Bhed Nag, Nagrota or Vasiki Nag, Bhadarwah. Some of these shrines of Nagas of the region have a great historical cultural antiquarian and monumental value, and some others are on the way to develop as important centers of religions or cultural tourism in the region." (jacket)