Naga and nāga transformation narratives in mainland Southeast Asia

Record summary

Nāga traditions across mainland Southeast Asia include serpent beings who can assume human form, intermarry with humans, guard water, found dynasties, or protect Buddhist sites. Contemporary festivals, pilgrimage narratives, films, and scholarship keep these traditions active, especially around Mekong locations and Thai Phaya Nak devotion. The material supports comparison of animal-human transformation, sovereignty, fertility, and sacred geography. It is essential to distinguish Buddhist mythology, local river traditions, royal genealogies, ritual practice, and modern claims of sightings or photographs.