Wat Chedi Luang

This five-headed naga is at Wat Chedi Luang, which we visited (only briefly) after our visit to Wat U Mong. It's at the base of the large (now broken) chedi that gave the wat its name. Nagas often guard stairways leading to holy places, partly because the nagas' serpentine bodies make convenient stair rails.

Nagas (and perhaps the lions and demons also found doing guard duty) represent untamed natural forces — potentially dangerous, but capable of using their strength and ferocity for good purposes if their friendship is won.