Apalala: Harsh Dragon Controlling Swat River Who Became Benevolent Naga King Helping People In Buddhist Tradition

Angela Sutherland  – AncientPages.com – Among many tales that survived from the era of northern Pakistan, which was the sacred Buddhist heartland of Gandhara, there was one dedicated to a terrifying water-dwelling Dragon/Naga, Apalala.

Credit: Adobe Stock – Phaitoon

According to Buddhist mythological stories, this water god lived in the mountain spring that was the source of the Swat River in Pashawa in India. This area is currently located in Peshawar, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. Even today, the Swat Province of Pakistan is rich with early Buddhist lore, and there are many different versions of Apalala’s story.

Unlike most other dragons, Apalala had a human head and a serpentine body; he was wise and cunning. Huge and powerful Naga King (or water dragon) always possessed enormous power over people. Rivers were vital for harvest and life in the region, and Apalala, a Naga King, was capable of controlling the flow of the Swat River and the amount of rain that fell in the area. In other words, people have depended mainly on Apalala.

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