Goddess Manasa by Jamini Roy, ca.1920. The San Diego Museum of Art
Manasa Devi is a Hindu folk goddess of snakes, worshiped mainly in Bengal and other parts of North and northeastern India, chiefly for the prevention and cure of snakebite and also for fertility and prosperity. Manasa is depicted as kind to her devotees, but harsh to people who refused to worship her. Manasa is depicted as a woman covered with snakes, sitting on a lotus or standing upon a snake. She is sheltered by the canopy of the hoods of seven cobras. Sometimes, she is depicted with a child on her lap. The child is assumed to be her son, Astika. She is often called "the one-eyed goddess", as one of her eyes was burnt by her stepmother Chandi.
Goddess Manasa, North Eastern India, 12th Century. Rubin Museum of Art
Generally, Manasa is worshiped without an image. A branch of a tree, an earthen pot or an earthen snake image is worshiped as the goddess, though images of Manasa are worshiped too. She is worshiped for protection from and cure of snake bites and infectious diseases like smallpox and chicken pox. The cult of Manasa is most widespread in Bengal, where she is ritually worshiped in temples. The goddess is widely worshiped in the rainy season, when the snakes are most active. Manasa is also a very important fertility deity, especially among the lower castes, and her blessings are invoked during marriage or for childlessness.
Goddess Manasa, Bengal terracotta handicraft. Photo courtesy Asis K. Chatterjee
Goddess Manasa, Kalighat painting
A man from Tarapith, West Bengal, holding a replica of a snake on his head which symbolizes Devi Manasa. The man is on a tour to let everybody know about the goddess he worships. Photo courtesy Goutamendu Ray