Naiṇī Mātā of Pindar Valley: A Local Himalayan Nāginī Within a Bigger Picture

Naiṇī or Nāginā devī is the name of nine mythical serpent sisters who rule as goddesses and mothers over the Pindar river valley in Uttarakhand, India. They establish their rule and their kinship ties to the human people through half-year long journeys, during which they take the shape of bamboo poles clothed with saris. Their serpenthood sets the Naiṇīs into a relation to other serpent deities and spirits called nāg all over South Asia (and far beyond). In this paper, I aim to figure out the place of these local deities within a larger nāgasphere, exploring what they have in common with other nāginīs and nāgas, and what distinguishes them. Especially important are their relation to the Earth and to an Underworld, their connection to fresh water resources and to trees, their enmity to the Garuḍa bird, and their relation to widely known nāga kings such as Kāliya and Vāsuki.