Naga running down edge of staircase to a Wat or temple in Chiang Saen Thailand

---

A Naga is a representation of a mystical serpent that according to the holy scripts sheltered the Buddha while he was meditating. In temple architecture, it runs down the edge of the roof, or, especially in Lanna (North of Thailand) temples, flanks the staircase that ascends to the Viharn or Bot. In sculptures, it is depicted sheltering the head of the Buddha with its own. Beautiful representations of Nagas are known from Khmer art, as found in the Khmer ruins in the Northeast of Thailand.

---

Size: 5033px × 7489px
Location: Chiang Saen Thailand Chiang Rai Province Asia Golden Triangle Mekong River Lanna
Photo credit: © Hugh Williamson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: architecture, art, asia, belief, bot, buddha, buddhism, buddhist, capital, carve, carving, city, close-, color, colour, colourful, decoration, deity, destination, distant, dragon, dramatic, entrance, exotic, eyes, faith, fear, gild, god, gold, golden, green, haul, head, holiday, impact, khmer, lanna, long, long-haul, mekong, menace, mouth, myth, mythical, neck, paint, portrait, rare, red, religion, religious, remote, river, sculpt, sculpture, serpent, siam, siamese, sightseeing, snake, stair, staircase, stairway, statue, temple, thailand, tongue, tourism, tradition, traditional, travel, triangle, vacation, viewpoint, viharn, wat