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Religious association
Snake worship is more common in rural areas than in urban.The naga is associated with almost every Hindu deity like Ganesha Goddess Durga, Varuna, Lord Shiva, Kartikeya and Vishnu.
Buddha
The serpent-king Muchalinda protected Gautama from a raging storm, as he meditated beneath the bodhi tree, by spreading its hood while he was meditating.
Parshvanatha
The icon of Jain Tirthankara Parshvanatha is identified by the cobra behind his head or at the base of his pedestal.
In Kerala, every tharavad or matrilineal home has a sarpa kavu or snake grove at the back, where the spirits of the ancestors are propitiated.
Goddess Manasa
The people of Assam also worship the snake goddess Manasa, a form of Shakti. The tribes of north-east India have various forms of snake worship.
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