About

Object Number: E253

Collection: Eastern Art

Serpents, or naga, were part of local spirit cults in Burma, as well as linked to the Buddha—they assisted with his birth. It is likely that this shrine once held a Buddha figure. The British were particularly intrigued by the notion that snake-worship was practiced in central Burma with the handling of trained snakes, and this artefact may have been collected as a result of this curiosity.