Nat - Katha, Myanmar
Posted by: 
Metro2
N 24° 10.331 E 096° 20.685
47R E 230227 N 2675850
Nats are Buddhist spirits - some of whom, like saints, are patrons of certain causes.
Waymark Code: WMVNV0
Location: Myanmar
Date Posted: 05/10/2017
Views: 2
This sculpture of a nat is located at a Buddhist temple in Katha. Unfortunately, the name of the temple could not be determined.
This nat has a human form...but red skin and two tusked teeth.
Wikipedia (
visit link) informs us:
"The nats ... are spirits worshipped in Burma (or Myanmar) in conjunction with Buddhism. They are divided between the 37 Great Nats and all the rest (i.e., spirits of trees, water, etc.). Almost all of the 37 Great Nats were human beings who met violent deaths (... lit. "green death"). They may thus also be called nat sein ... lit. green spirits). The word 'sein', while meaning 'green', is being used to mean 'raw' in this context. There are however two types of nats in Burmese Buddhist belief.
Nat spirits are termed lower nats or auk nats ..., whether named or unnamed, whereas ahtet nats ... or higher nat dewas inhabit the six heavens. Much like sainthood, nats can be designated for a variety of reasons, including those only known in certain regions in Burma. Nat worship is less common in urban areas than in rural areas, and is practised among ethnic minorities as well as in the mainstream Bamar society. It is however among the Buddhist Bamar that the most highly developed form of ceremony and ritual is seen."