nāgakals
Nota de aplicación
Carved ‘serpent stones’ commissioned by Indian women that evoke symbolic properties of the tree and the serpent. These are set beneath sacred trees, and are thought to bestow fertility, especially to the barren. Stone or terracotta nāgakals bearing Shaivite or Vaishnavite symbolism may be found side by side under the same tree-shrine. Most often these are carved by local craftsmen.