Mahoraga

Mahoraga (Pali maha-uraga; Skt. mahorāga; Tib.ལྟོ་འཕྱེ་ཆེན་པོ་, Wyl. lto 'phye chen po) — literally “great serpents,” mahoragas are supernatural beings depicted as large, subterranean beings with human torsos and heads and the lower bodies of serpents who, it is said, lie on their sides and rotate in the earth.

They belong to the class of local deities or 'earth lords' and are one of the eight kinds of non-humans who protect the dharma.

Their movements are said to cause earthquakes, and they make up a class of subterranean geomantic spirits whose movement through the seasons and months of the year is deemed significant for construction projects.

Internal Links

• Eight classes of gods and demons