Janguli
Janguli is an ancient snake goddess venerated by shamanic tribes in the region of Northern India and Nepal. Janguli, Mistress of Snakes, protects against snakebite and all poison. Too powerful to ignore and too valuable to Demonize, she has since been absorbed into the Hindu and Buddhist pantheons:
• She is sometimes considered a Tantric form of White Tara, thus making her a Bodhisattva or Buddha.
• She is sometimes counted among the Mahavidyas, Hinduism’s Wisdom God desses.
Janguli’s image is believed to provide protection from snakes. Amulets bearing her name or image are believed to help protect against poison, including food poisoning.
MANIFESTATION:
She may appear as a woman holding a white snake, or she may be a woman from the waist up and a white snake below. She is intensely linked to white snakes; there will be one with her somehow. Alternatively, a white snake may be sufficient to indicate her presence. She may also appear in her iconographic form.
ICONOGRAPHY:
Janguli is depicted in Buddhist and Hindu images as having three faces and six arms. Buddhist images show her forming the mudra of protection. She wears a snake crown or a snake may wreathe her head.
ATTRIBUTE:
Lotus, veena (musical instrument)
COLOUR:
White
Sacred creatures: Snakes and peacocks, both of which serve as her mount
OFFERINGS:
Images of snakes and peacocks, peacock feathers (used in Himalayan traditional medicine to heal snakebite)
Janguli bears a close resemblance to Benten and Sarasvati. Some perceive them to be the same spirit operating under different names; others just perceive them as closely related soul-sister-spirits.
SEE ALSO:
Benten; Bodhisattva; Buddha; Lady White; Sarasvati; Tara, White
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses – Written by : Judika Illes Copyright © 2009 by Judika Illes.