Mansa is called the Hindu Snake Goddess or the Snake Goddess. Mansa is derived from Manas, the Sanskrit root which means ‘of the mind’. The deity is believed to cure snake bites. Her name has connection with Lakshmi – the lotus leaf born goddess and Visahari in the science of poison removal ‘Vasahari Vidya’.
According to mythology, on one occasion, Shiva leaves his wife Durga and sits on the banks of the Kalidaha pool to meditate. While remembering his wife, his sperm spills and flows down the lotus leaf stalk to the underworld after which Mansa is born. There she is granted a boon by the king of nagas (serpents) Vasuki to rule over all serpents. Hence Mansa is known as the Queen of snakes or Nageshwari.
In India as well many other races across the world an ancient cult followed is the worship of snakes (ophiolatry). In India, snake worship by the Dravidians dates back as far as the Harappan culture followed in the Indus Valley. God Shiva and snake worship are closely tied and since Mansa is Shiva’s daughter, it is believed that she is worshipped for this reason. It is also believed that civilizations that worshipped the sun also indulged in snake worship. Folklore in ancient times believed that if a snake was harmed by anyone then he or she would fall prey to sterility or leprosy.
The Snake Goddess appears in a number of forms including her angry, malicious and envious form resembling a snake headed fish called Cenga, or a fish-faced limping witch with one eye, or a voluptuous, beautiful and conventional goddess with body decorated with snakes. Mansa is depicted in iconography of two different forms including two arms, four arms surrounded by a canopy of seven snake hoods.
