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Snake Worship 129
both man and dragon were prostrate on the ground, ap-
proached them, but with fear and trembling. They found
both incapable of further effort—the dragon was dead and
the man had fainted away. Doubtless Naters derived its
name from this legend.
In the native State of Maisur, in Southern India, snake
worship appears to be now on the increase ; it is believed
to have existed there in very ancient times, to have died
out, and then arisen again.
In support of this theory is the fact that hardly any
traces of it are to be found amongst the rich sculptures
which adorn the old temples at Belftr and Halebid in that
state, also> that all the Naga sculptures we now see appear
to be comparatively modern work. The only signs of
snake worship in the temple at Belur (which belongs to
the Vaishnava sect, and has no snake emblems on the
actual building) are two serpents of very inferior modern
work carved upon a stone in the courtyard. At Halebid
also the snake is only found in subordinate positions on
the so-called twin temples at that place, which belong to
the Saiva sect— viz., on the stylobate of a porch where
the gods are represented churning the sea with a large
snake to serve as a rope for obtaining the Amrita. It is also
to be seen on one of the exterior bands of sculpture, where
Siva is represented holding a Naga Mudamma on his left
arm.i
In Bangalor, and in other places in the Maislir State,
the Naga Mtadamma seems to be regarded as a sort of
^ The Naga Mudamma is represented with the bust of a woman, the lower
e.xtremities that of a serpent or a fish-hke tail.
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