In Buddhist mythology, Mucalinda was the serpent king who sheltered the meditating Buddha from a storm.
According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha was meditating beneath a tree shortly after attaining enlightenment when heavy rain and wind arose. Mucalinda emerged from the earth, coiled around the Buddha, and spread his many hoods above him as protection. After the storm ended, the serpent king assumed human form and paid homage to the Buddha.
The episode appears in Buddhist literature and became a popular subject in art across South and Southeast Asia. Sculptures and reliefs often show the Buddha seated above the coils of the nāga, with several cobra hoods forming a canopy.
Mucalinda is a nāga, a class of powerful serpent beings, rather than a European-style winged dragon. He is also distinct from Ananta or Shesha, the cosmic serpent associated with Hindu traditions and with the god Vishnu.