CULTURE
Tale of Makara, Sea Dragon or Water Monster
A Hindu mythical creature
Don’t we all love the idea of Dragons? A mythical creature who can fly and breathe fire. What if I tell you the story of a mythical creature of the Indian Subcontinent?
Makara, Sea Dragon or Water Monster
Makara is a Sanskrit word which means Sea Dragon or Water Monster. It is a mythical sea creature. It is usually described as a half terrestrial animal such as an elephant, crocodile, or deer in the frontal part and half-aquatic animal in the other part, usually of a fish or a seal.
Makara is equivalent to the zodiac sign Capricorn, which is a sea goat. It is considered to be the vehicle of Hindu river goddess Ganga, Narmada and the sea god Varuna.
Cultural influence
Makara shaped earrings called Makara Kundalas are said to be worn by the Hindu gods — Shiva the destroyer, the preserver god Vishnu, and Surya, the god of the sun. We can still find those designs in our jewelry if we look close enough.
John Boardman, an art historian believed that there is a connection between Makaras and Dragons. As both of them have been influenced by Ketos in Greek mythology
The Makaras are known to be the monster and protector of the water. At that time people used to travel only through water. They always feared unknown creatures lurking in the water. They started to worship Makara believing that it would protect them.
It has always been an object of fear and the symbol of the unknown. It was very common in ancient times to have Makara symbols in the boats and oars as they believed it as a talisman to protect the boat from crocodiles and other aquatic animals.
The Makara is commonly found in the frontal gates of many Hindu and Buddhist Temples around India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and many more as they were considered to be the gatekeepers and protectors of the Temples.
One such Temple is the Jora Shiv Temple ( Identical Shiv Temple) situated in Jessore.
These Temples are based on a mythical creature — as we can already guess it’s Makara. The locals call it Mokkor. They believe this monster still lurks on the river. Some people believe that their forefathers have seen this creature. Well, no judgments there.
The amazing part of the temple is the frontal gate which is decorated with a large Makara terracotta.
This is not the only place where you’ll find portrayals of Makaras. It is very common, especially in the Shiva Temples. Since Shiva is the god of destruction, Makara is perfectly suited here.
The lion’s connection with Shiva
The lion here tells us a great story. Shiva was about to marry Parvati, a Demon who came from the lands of the demons to deliver a message. The messenger was Rahu, who is commonly known as the demon who swallows the sun, therefore causing the eclipse. The sun passes through the opening at the neck, ending the eclipse. The message was the king of the demons found Shiva unworthy of marrying Parvati so he would marry her instead.
Hearing this, Shiva got angry and furious. A creature-like lion man, which had the upper body of a lion and the lower body of a human came out of his eyes.
The creature was nothing but the fury of Shiva.
Seeing this Rahu got scared and begged mercy to Shiva saying he was only a messenger and he was just following what the king of demons said. As a messenger he shouldn’t face this punishment. Listening to all this, Shiv agreed to let him go.
The lion man turned to Shiva and complained about his hunger.
He said,“ You created me to devour the demon and now you have forgiven him and sent him away. What am I to do?”
Shiva agreed and said, “ There is still one demon left, you will just have to eat yourself.”
Hearing this the monster began to eat itself. He started from the bottom to his arms and slowly there was nothing left but his face. Seeing this Shiva was amused and he appointed the lion as the guardian of the gate. He has to be worshipped and fed sacrificial meat by whoever wants to enter.
Fascinating story! Isn’t it?
The lion carries a spirit of fury and assisted by the Makara it makes a fearsome Duo. This represents the ability of the Makara to absolve fury and also cause fear and intricate. Sculptures and portrayals of Makaras are featured all around the Indian subcontinent. So the next time you see one, you’ll know the story behind the sculpture.
