Nagaraja
A Nagaraja is a king of the various races of the nāga, the divine or semi-divine, half-human, half-serpent beings that reside in the netherworld, and can occasionally take human form.
Rituals devoted to these supernatural beings have been taking place throughout South Asia for at least two thousand years.
Hinduism
Hindu texts refer to three main beings by this title: Shesha, Takshaka, and Vasuki. All of them are the children of the rishi Kashyapa and Kadru.Shesha
Shesha, also sometimes known as Ananta, is the eldest brother, and the first serpent king of all serpents. A devotee and a mount of Vishnu, he serves as the deity's bed and is named as the noblest of all nagas. He is the being that supports the earth, on the behest of the creator god, Brahma, obtaining the boon to stand ever firmly on the concept of dharma.Vasuki
Vasuki is the second serpent king in Indian religions. He is a devotee of Shiva, who always wears the nāga around his neck.Takshaka
Takshaka is the third, and the present serpent king. In the Mahabharata, he ruled the Khandava forest, which was then burnt by the Pandava Arjuna. Later, Takshaka slew Parikshit, the grandson of Arjuna.These serpents are a group of a thousand brothers, and they also have a sister, whose name is Manasa.
Temples
A temple of the Nagaraja Vasuki is present in Gujarat's district of Thangadh.At Nagercoil, in Kanyakumari district's of Tamil Nadu, a temple dedicated to Nagaraja exists.
There is another famous temple named Mannarasala in Alleppey district of Kerala. The deity in this temple embodies both Anantha and Vasuki into one.
A temple devoted to nagraja exists in kaippattoor of Ernakulam district in Kerala, India.
It is known as thekkanattil nagaraja kshetram.
A temple devoted to Nagaraja exists in Poojappura of the Thiruvananthapuram District in Kerala, India. It is known as the Poojappura Nagarukavu Temple. The uniqueness of this temple is that here the family of the Nagaraja, including Nagaramma, and Nagakanya are placed inside a single temple.
Thiruvananthapuram also houses the Thuppanathu Kavu, located at Vazhamuttam. The three serpent deities evoked in this ancient temple are the Nagaraja Vasuki, the naga yakshi, and the naga kanyaka. Turmeric powder, noorum palum, and nagaroottu are offered to them. Accompanied by the naga deities and Goddesses at Thuppanathu Kavu are the goddess Vanadurga and the goddess Rajarajeswari.
Kukke Subramanya is a Hindu temple located in the village of Subramanya, Karnataka. In this temple Kartikeya is worshipped as Subramanya, the lord of all serpents. The epics relate that the divine serpent Vasuki and other serpents found refuge under Subramanya when threatened by Garuda.
Buddhism
There are many Nagarajas mentioned throughout various Buddhist texts. There are four major royal races of Nagarajas in Buddhism as the Virupakkhas, the Erapathas, the Chabyaputtas and the Kanhagotamakas. Nāga Kings appears in the audience for many of Gautama Buddha's sermons in Buddhist scriptures. The duties of the Nāga Kings included leading the nagas in protecting the Buddha, other enlightened beings, as well as protecting the Buddha Sasana.Some of the most notable Nagarajas occurring in Buddhist scriptures are Virupaksa, Mucalinda, Dhrtarastra, Takshaka, Vasuki, Nanda, Upananda, Sagara, Balavan, Anavatapta, Varuna and Utpala.
Virupaksa
Virūpākṣa is a major deity in Buddhism. He is one of the Four Heavenly Kings and a dharmapala. He lives on the western part of Sumeru. He is leader of the nāgas.File:広目天, Virūpākṣa, Heian period, Jōruri-ji.jpg|thumb|Statue of Kōmokuten. Jōruri-ji, Japan.
File:SalaKeoKou 2.jpg|thumb|A statue of Mucalinda sheltering Gautama Buddha. Sculpture in Nong Khai, Northeastern Thailand.