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Burma / Myanmar: Naga Min, The Serpent. From Sir Richard Karnak's '37 Nats', 1906

Burma / Myanmar: Naga Min, The Serpent. From Sir Richard Karnak's '37 Nats', 1906

Nāga is the Sanskrit and Pāli word for a deity or class of entity or being, taking the form of a very great snake — specifically the king cobra, found in Hinduism and Buddhism. A female nāga is a nāgī or nāginī.

Nats are spirits worshipped in Burma (or Myanmar) in conjunction with Buddhism. They are divided between the 37 Great Nats and all the rest (i.e., spirits of trees, water, etc.).

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