Mucalinda

Mucalinda sheltering Gautama Buddha; Sandstone with traces of pigment and gold, Honolulu Academy of Arts

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 four 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.

Artistic representations

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.

References

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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