Samadhi Mudra, The Legend: The Naga Protects the Buddha

In the meditating gesture or samadhi mudra, an image’s two hands both rest in the lap, palms up and the placed right over left. The meditation gesture is found is seated Buddhas only.

Although associated with some of the most important images made in Lan Na, like the Emerald and Singhalese Buddha, the meditation gesture became less popular in the North as time went on.

The meditating gesture is also employed for the Buddha when seated on the serpent divinity, the naga. In this case the gesture refers to the Muchalinda story.

The Legend: The Naga Protects the Buddha

The Buddha was so deep in meditation that he did not notice a storm had caused the nearby river to swell.

Cognizant of the danger, the naga king Muchalinda coiled himself under the meditating Buddha to lift him above the flood, then spread his multi-headed hood to shield him from the driving rains.

According to Nothern thai and Burmese beliefs, this even occurred in the with of the seven weeks the Buddha spent in Bodhgaya after attaining enlightenment.

the s even weeks are indicated by Seven stations and were an important part at the pilgrimage site of the Bodhgaya, India, and at Wat Chet Yot, Chiang Mai.

Source

http://samadhi-culture.com/samadhi/samadhi-mudra-the-legend-the-naga-protects-the-buddha/