Book Title: Naaga: Discovering the Extraordinary World of Serpent Worship
Author: K. Hari Kumar
Publisher: Harper Non Fiction India
Number of Pages: 392
ISBN: 978-9369892655
Date Published: Jul. 25, 2025
Price: INR 384
Book Excerpt
Part 1, Section V
Naaga and Cobra: Belief Meets Reality
(pages 27-29)
The ancient stories hum with tales of God-like Naagas—powerful, sometimes multi-headed beings dwelling in hidden realms. But how much of this legendary figure connects to the reptile sharing its name, the familiar, fearsome cobra of the Indian landscape? This chapter felt crucial to my exploration—to bridge the gap between the divya serpents of scripture and the bhauma (earthly) reality of the Indian cobra (Naja naja). Where do belief and biology overlap? Where do they diverge?
To navigate this complex terrain, I sought insight from someone who has dedicated his life to understanding these creatures— renowned herpetologist and conservationist Romulus Whitaker, founder of the Madras Snake Park. His expertise, shared graciously via email correspondence, illuminates the scientific facts that sometimes intertwine with, and sometimes challenge, the deep-rooted folklore surrounding the cobra.
Among the approximately 300 species of snakes that roam India’s vast and varied landscape, the cobra holds a place of singular significance. It wasn’t just a snake—it was the embodiment of both life’s sacred mysteries and death. The Indian cobra (Naja naja), one of the ‘big four’ venomous snakes responsible for the majority of snakebites in the country, was not merely feared but revered and woven into the fabric of Indian spirituality. Its form finds prominence in the iconography of temples, its image curling around the deities of Hindu tradition and its very biological name traces its roots to the ancient Sanskrit word naaga, meaning serpent.
The cobra’s venomous strike, its lethal efficiency, and its ubiquitous presence across the subcontinent—India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and even Afghanistan—make it both an object of worship and fear. For centuries, across temple murals and sacred texts, the cobra has been enshrined as Naagaraaja, Naagadevata, Naagaradevata, or Naagathaanmaar depending on where in the region one invokes its name.
The cobra’s habitat mirrors the diversity of India’s landscapes. Whether coiled in the underbrush of tropical rainforests or slithering through the dust-laden paths of villages, its domain spans from verdant mangroves to cultivated savannas. Its prey—black rats (particularly the Lesser Bandicoot, Bandicota bengalensis, found commonly in paddy field bunds), frogs, lizards, birds and other snakes—becomes paralyzed by its venom, offering itself to the cobra’s slow, deliberate consumption. The snake’s hood, fanning out in moments of tension, serves as both an evolutionary defence and a symbol of its power. The ‘spectacled cobra’, as it is often called, wears an unmistakable pattern on the back of its hood, resembling two eyes connected by a curved line.
The Lifespan and Size of Cobras
The Agni Puraana says that the Naagas shed their skins every six months, and that they live for up to one hundred and twenty years. I recall, vividly, a story shared with me by an elder during a drowsy Kerala afternoon, the kind where the heat slows time, and the rhythmic hum of insects lulls you into a state where myths and reality begin to blur. ‘Naagas,’ she said with reverence, ‘outlive humans. They live for centuries, standing vigil over families, watching as generations rise and fall, as though time itself bends to their will.’
However, science dictates a much shorter maximum lifespan for an Indian cobra, around twenty to thirty years, based primarily on records from captivity. Though they may reach lengths of five feet (generally 1.5 metres), whispers of seven-foot cobras circulate in the oral traditions of the land, while the verified maximum length for Naja najais closer to two metres. Where might the myths of extreme longevity originate? Expert insight suggests that snake charmers historically were a primary source of ‘snake facts’ and would sometimes resort to deception, such as inserting animal hair into a cobra’s head to claim great age, complete with a ‘moustache’.
The notion that these serpents transcend the limits of human mortality—that they are silent witnesses to the inexorable passing of time—underscores their legendary stature. In traditional accounts, they seem immortal, their existence only threatened by the few predators capable of challenging them—the mongoose (Nevla in Hindi) and mankind’s encroaching settlements.
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Excerpted with permission from Naaga by K. Hari Kumar, published by Harper Non Fiction India.
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