Vietnam White Marble Buddha Under the Naga Hood, 30 Inch

The Buddha sheltered by Mucalinda

This is the Buddha in the sixth week after his awakening, when a great storm broke over the lake where he sat in meditation. The naga king Mucalinda rose from the water, wrapped his body seven times beneath the Buddha to lift him above the flood, and spread his seven hooded heads over him like an umbrella until the rain had passed.

The sculpture tells that story in one form. The Buddha sits cross-legged in dhyana mudra, hands resting one on the other in his lap, eyes lowered, with the ushnisha and tight curls of the head crowned by a small flame. Beneath him the serpent's body rises in three broad scaled coils that make his seat. Behind him the seven hoods open in a fan, each head carved with its own face, the scales running down each neck to his shoulders.

A Buddha that belongs to water

Most Buddha forms are placed near water. This one comes from it. Because the naga rose out of a lake to protect him, the Mucalinda Buddha is the natural choice for a fountain basin, a reflecting pool, a koi pond edge or an indoor water feature, where the real water around the coils finishes the story the stone begins. In Thailand, Cambodia and Laos the form is known as Naga Prok and is especially loved by those born on a Saturday.

Stone, finish and size

The design is for Vietnam white marble, a dense, fine-grained stone that reads cool and milky white, with only faint grey clouding. A soft satin polish lets light roll over the robe folds and catch the edges of the scales and hoods without glare, and the stone stands up well to splash and humidity when sealed.

At 30 inches from the base to the top of the central hood, the piece suits an indoor atrium basin, a courtyard fountain or the centre of a meditation garden. The coils and a lotus plinth lift the Buddha well above the water line, so he is never set at floor level.

Made to order

Each piece is carved to order by our sculptors in Jaipur, so the height, the plinth or the depth of the coils can be adjusted before carving begins. Tell us about your basin or pond and we will confirm the dimensions, weight and a quote, for delivery in India or abroad.