In Indic mythology, Manimekhala is a goddess regarded as a guardian of the seas; namely the Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

 and the South China Sea

South China Sea

The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...

 as part of the mythology of Indochina

Indochina

The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...

. She was placed by Catummaharajika to protect virtuous beings from shipwreck. She appears in several Buddhist stories including the Mahajanaka-Jataka

Jataka

The Jātakas refer to a voluminous body of literature native to India concerning the previous births of the Buddha....

 in which she rescues Prince Mahajanaka from a shipwreck.

Etymology

In Pali

Páli

- External links :* *...

, refers to a girdle or belt of jewels. In Indochina, she is sometimes referred to simply as Mekhala; Neang Mekhala in Cambodia and Nang Mekhala in Thailand. Her name was contributed by Thailand for tropical cyclone names occurring as 'Tropical Storm Mekkhala

Tropical Storm Mekkhala

The name Mekkhala has been used for two tropical cyclones in the western north Pacific Ocean. The name was contributed by Thailand and means "Angel of thunder".* 2002's Tropical Storm Mekkhala - struck China....

' in 2002 and 2008.

In Mainland Southeast Asia

Manimekhala is seen in wat

Wat

A wat is a monastery temple in Cambodia, Thailand, or Laos. The word "wat" means "school".- Introduction :...

 paintings across Mainland Southeast Asia depicting scenes from Mahajanaka. In Thailand and Cambodia, she is considered a goddess of lightning and the seas. In the classical dance traditions of Thailand and Cambodia, sacred dramatic dances depict the goddess Manimekhala, Ramasura (Parashurama

Parashurama

Parashurama , is the sixth avatar of Vishnu and belongs to the treta yuga, and is the son of a Brahmin father Jamadagni and mother Renuka. He is considered one of the seven immortal human. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of...

), and Arjuna

Arjuna

Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...

; according to legend, the phenomena of thunder

Thunder

Thunder is the sound made by lightning. Depending on the nature of the lightning and distance of the listener, thunder can range from a sharp, loud crack to a long, low rumble . The sudden increase in pressure and temperature from lightning produces rapid expansion of the air surrounding and within...

 and lightning

Lightning

Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...

is produced in the clash of Manimekhala's crystal ball and Parashurama's axe. In Cambodia, these dance dramas are used in propitiation ceremonies called buong suong tevoda and was performed to invoke the rains to fall.