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 legends pertaining to Mucalinda 

I have heard and read from several sources a story which elaborates on the Mucalinda legend.  According to this story, the Buddha was pleased with his protector and blessed him by placing a hand on his hood.  As a sign of the Buddha's blessing, cobras bear his fingerprints on their hoods.  Indian or Spectacled cobras (Naja naja) of course have two ocelli or eyespot markings on the back of their hood.  (These are thought to serve as ""eyes in the back of the head,"" with the adaptive function of deterring predators that might try to attack the standing cobra from behind).  This story may be told in Thailand also, although there is a slight inconsistency in that Thai cobras (Naja kaouthia) have only one spot. )

I have also heard a variant in which the Buddha was protected by the serpent not from rain storms but from the blazing Indian sun.

Unfortunately, I cannot find a decent source for either of these elements in the Mucalinda story and do not know where they originated. 174.111.242.35  "