Naga Cult and Wooden Art In India

Näga cult had been a worldwide phenomenon bout its predominance in India, had been an interesting and curious subject of study. The strange shape, curious behaviour, multitude of superstitions and beliefs associated with this most dreaded animal of hot country like India, its dreaded poisonous character, and yet it’s so an honorable and respectful status in the Socio-Cultural and religious life and tradition of Indian folk, makes the snake lore or Naga Cult, all the more interesting. The dual nature of Nägas both as Humans and serpents (Animals), or as an ethnic race or as a totem, has made the study of Någalore, a covered subject of study for both Indian or non-Indian scholars, over the last one and a half century.

Dr. P.K. Kaul from Bhaderwah (J&K) is a writer and a research scholar of repute, having to his credit some 40(forty) years of field work and regional Research in diverse fields of Social Sciences, namely Linguistics, folk lore antiquity, Paleography, history and culture etc. Basically a Science graduate, most of this Research work is influenced by a logical mind and reasoning. He started his career as a Secondary School Teacher and subsequently got selected as a Lecturer in Government Higher Education Department and finally retired as a Professor from a Government College at Jammu. On the basis of his merit he was awarded two senior Research Fellowships, one by University Grants Commission and the other by the Department of Tourism and Culture Ministry of Human Resource Development Government of India. The present work is the result of the senior Fellowship on Indology (Naga Cult).

Dr. Kaul writes both in Hindi and English His work includes more than a dozen of Research Publications (Books), some poetry and scores of Research articles published in various Magazines and papers from many capital cities of North India, as well as Jammu and Srinagar.

Nāgas have been remote ancestors of ethnic admixture of present Indian Sub-continent and greater India of the Past. Many eminent foreign and Indian intellectuals and writers have noted and commented on them which include James Hastings, J. Ph. Vogel, Ferguson, W. Crooke, Topsell, H.H. Wilson, M. Winternitz, Mc Crindle, Monier Williams, S.C. Ray, B.D. Gupta, K.P. Jayaswal etc. Many Indian compositions and literary writings, like Vedas, Purāņas, Epics, fables, Bṛhat Katha, Pañca Tantra, Jātakas and the like also provide us, much information, pertaining to them, based on an admixture of folk tradition, religious mythology, native ignorance, popular cultural traits and elements of real history, which is both confusing, captivating and interesting for research also. Their role in the making of Indian History and Culture is also important, considerable and note worthy.

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