Naga

Naga or Dragons are one of the mythological creatures that appear in various traditions and cultures in the world. Naga are figures that are often used as symbols of the underworld, water, and fertility. Naga are also symbols of lust or worldly ties. The phrase Naga comes from Sanskrit which means snake. In addition to Naga which refers to male Nagas, there is also Nagini which refers to female Nagas.

Several manuscripts mention Nagas, Udyogaparwa mentions 'kahananing Naga sinangguhak?n saptapatala' (the place of the naga in Saptapatala). Purana also mentions that Nagas are a race of snakes that inhabit Patalaloka or the underworld, therefore nagas are considered to be the supports of the earth (bhudara). Agastyaparwa mentions 'Naga kurma unggwan I kandarana prthiwi' (snake and turtle support the earth). Tantu Panggelaran mentions 'Sang hyang anantabhoga pinaka dasaring prthiwi' (Sang Hyang Anantabhoga as the foundation of the earth).

Nagas are depicted in a number of forms, fully snake-shaped, human-bodied and from the neck to the head in the form of a snake, snake-bodied and from the stomach to the head in the form of a human. Nagas are also said to be able to take on a fully human form. In Hindu mythology, it is said that Nagas are descendants of Kasyapa and Kadru. The most famous naga figures are Antaboga, Basuki, and Taksaka who are often referred to as Nagaraja or the leader of the Nagas.

Antaboga means endless food. He is a symbol of the land or earth which is the eternal source of all food for all living things on earth. Anantaboga depicts the earth itself as a representation of the element of mother earth (solid substance), one of the elements that make up the universe. In the Hindu tradition, Antaboga is also called Shesa or Shesanaga. Shesha comes from the Sanskrit term, Sis meaning he who remains in his form even though the world is destroyed. He is referred to as Sankarshana, the tamasic energy of Narayana and lives in the Patala layer. He is the personification of the divine ocean called Kshirasagara. Ananta Shesha is a cosmic dragon that is the resting place and throne of Vishnu and Laksmi.

Basuki is a representation of the wealth of the earth and the balance of the natural cycle, Basuki is the flow of water of life, from springs to the ocean, a representation of the apah element (liquid). Basuki is the king of dragons who brings safety and prosperity. Basuki's head is often depicted with the Nagamani jewel. He is a snake that is worn around Shiva's neck. Basuki is associated with the story of Samudramanthana (churning of the ocean) or Ksirasagaramanthana (churning of the ocean of milk). In the story, Basuki is assigned to be a rope to remind Mount Mandara, where the gods hold his tail and the asuras hold his head.

Taksaka is usually depicted as a winged dragon. Taksaka is a symbol of air/atmosphere that sends rain to the earth, he is a representation of the bayu element (air). In the Mahabharata story, Taksaka is the dragon who killed Parikesit. Taksaka once swore to kill the last descendant of Arjuna. This happened because the Pandavas burned the Kandawa Forest which was Taksaka's residence. In Chinese and Japanese mythology, Taksaka is known as one of the Eight Great Nagarajas.

In Indonesian mythology, the story of the Dragon is often found in the community's folklore. Local mythological stories about dragons sometimes also contain moral teachings or messages. Mythological stories related to dragons are usually also used as analogies for natural morphology, symbolizing the causes of natural events such as earthquakes, and describing the occurrence or origin of a place. Mythology about dragons also gives rise to traditional rituals or ceremonies in the community, as well as being manifested in various forms of art and ornamentation.

In Java, there are several mythological stories related to the Dragon, such as the story of Baruklinting and Jaka Linglung. In Sumatra, there is the story of Putri Naga and Tuan Tapa, the story of Alue Naga, Naga Padoha, and the story of the golden dragon of Lake Ranau. In Kalimantan, there is mythology about the Earth Folding Dragon, Snake Lembu, and Puake. In Sulawesi, there is mythology about Silo Ndano, there is also the mythology of the Kotom Pitu Dragon in NTT and Korben in Papua.

Dragon visuals are often found in various forms of art and ornamentation. Dragon visuals are most commonly used to support the aesthetics of an object. Visual dragons in art and ornamentation also sometimes have meaning or symbolic value. One example is in the sengkalan ornament. In the sengkalan system, the dragon has a value of eight. This is associated with Hindu or Javanese mythology that there are eight dragons supporting the world located in eight cardinal directions.