Phaya Naka

the multiple-headed serpent-snake that helped buddha out and protexlcted him from the rain. sometimes depicted with three, five, seven or nine heads. it's for good luck.

apparently, naka wrapped itself around buddha's body when it was raining and cold, liftig him up from the ground so he would not be disturbed in his meditation. the heads were used as an umbrella. pretty cool story. :)

this particular statue stands guard in front of a 95m tall buddha statue - the biggest one in the world. everyone knows the buddha, but did anyone pay attention to naka?!