The nagamani (literally - gem of the Nagas) appears in the Indian literary epic, the Mahabharatha, after the culminating war that named the classic. The back story goes thus – Uloopi, a nagakanya (snakegirl) was the daughter of Kouravya, a snake king who ruled the underwater kingdom of serpents in the river Ganga. When Arjuna, the Pandava prince, was on his self-imposed exile to atone for breaking the terms of marriage with Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas, he happened to visit the part of the river Ganga ruled by Kouravya.
While he was at the banks of the river, Uloopi observed the great warrior from her underwater palace and fell hopelessly in love with him. Arjuna, who was unaware of this, asked the priests on the banks to get the fire for his daily fire sacrifice rites ready. He then entered the waters of the Ganga for his ritual ablution. As soon as he entered the waters, he started feeling weak and dizzy. He was drawn deeper into the water by a spell cast by the powerful snake princess. Arjuna sank underneath and was relayed into the rooms of the snake woman in the royal palace.
When he woke up, Arjuna was initially confused and angry. He was surprised, however, to see a fire sacrifice altar set up in the room. Since it was time for his daily ritual, he decided to complete his prayers in front of it. Later, he got ready to fight whoever was responsible for abducting him into the underwater mansion. Uloopi, who had been watching him, made herself visible to the human eye and managed to win him over with her charming ways, devoted attention, and genuine adoration. She entreated him to marry her. Arjuna was, to begin with, not agreeable to the idea as he did not know her and would definitely not be able to stay in the area for a long time as he was a man on a mission.
He explained his reasons to her and although Uloopi was saddened at the lack of reciprocation, she convinced him that she would only keep him in the palace for a day and let him go back to the world of humans the next day. Arjuna finally gave in and they were wedded according to the Naga customs in the presence of her father and other family members. As promised, Uloopi only kept Arjuna with her for a day and returned him to the banks of the river the next day. Arjuna did not seek her out after this or even see her until the events leading to the use of the Nagamani after the Mahabharatha war.
After Arjuna left, Uloopi was desolate. She had a son from the marriage but this did not keep her happy for long. She discovered that Arjuna had gone on to marry the princess of Manipura, Chitrangada. Although Arjuna had not stayed in Manipura either, and carried on with his exile, he had genuinely cared for Chitrangada. Uloopi decided to meet Chitrangada whom Arjuna had loved, so she could feel closer to her husband. Leaving her son to be brought up by her father and other royalty in the underwater kingdom, she shifted base to Manipura where she was welcomed quite warmly by her co-wife Chitrangada. She adored Chitrangada’s son, Babhruvahana, the prince of Manipura. Babhruvahana also loved his step mother, and Uloopi made it her life’s mission to teach him all the skills of warfare that she knew. She made him into an excellent warrior.
To be continued….
