Sentence:  The five-coned towers form a quincunx, and their flanks are scooped into niches in each of which has been placed a smiling buddha shaded by a nine-headed <WSD>naga</WSD> like a big palm fan. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A member of a class of semi-divine creatures, often taking the form of a very large snake and associated with water.