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Nagraj (comics)
Encyclopedia
Nagraj (नागराज in Devanagari script) is an India
n comic book
character from Raj Comics
, who can arguable be considered the longest-running Indian action comic Superhero. Created in the late 1980s by Sanjay Gupta, Nagraj has changed a lot in his 25 years in print, both in terms of looks as well as in stories. Despite the fact that comic culture had once almost vanished in India, his fan base continued to increase and is expected to greatly increase once his first animated movie is released.
.
The name Nagraj is derived from the word "Nagaraja
"(Hindi
:नागराजा ) which is itself made up of two words "Nāga
"(Hindi
:नाग) and "Raja
"(Hindi
:राजा) where the word "nāga" means snake and "raja" means king. Nagraj is believed to have been inspired by the mythological Ichchhadhari Nag
(shape shifting snakes), known historical as Vishmanushya (venomous human). His stories create a rich blend of mythology, fantasy, magic, and science fiction. Many of Nagraj's fans believe that, over time, Nagraj's comics have developed a Snake Mythology of its own, which is unique to the popular Indian beliefs about snakes that are prevalent among the masses.
Nagraj was originally conceived as an enemy of international terrorism. Interestingly, in his debut issue, Nagraj was unleashed as an international terror weapon by the evil scientist Professor Nagmani. Nagraj, in this first mission, was tasked with stealing a golden statue of a Goddess from a temple that was protected by tribal devotees, snakes, and by a mysterious 300 year old Sadhu
named Baba Gorakhnath. Nagraj succeeded in his task, but upon confrontation with Gorakhnath and his mystic Black Mongoose
hikangi, was defeated. Gorakhnath read his mind and discovered that Professor Nagmani had implanted a mind control device in the form of a capsule in Nagraj's head, in order to keep him under his control. Gorakhnath operated and removed the capsule from Nagraj's head, setting Nagraj free of Professor Nagmani's control. Nagraj then became Baba Goraknath's disciple and vowed to eliminate crime and terror from the Earth. Since then, Nagraj has thrice toured the world and defeated many villains and terrorists.
Presently, Nagraj lives as Raj in a fictional Metropolitan City Mahanagar as an employee of a TV Channel that is secretly owned by himself.
As time passed, Queen Lalita started getting depressed about not having a child of her own. The king realized the cause of her depression and got upset as well. The couple used to pray to their family deity Deva
Kaljayi for his blessings. Deva Kaljayi also knew of their grievances, so one day he blessed them to have a great child. His blessings came true as the queen soon became pregnant and the whole kingdom rejoiced, except for Nagpasha. The birth of this child meant the loss of the throne for him, so he decided to kill the child before he was born.
One day when the queen was going to pray to Deva Kaljayi, Nagpasha replaced the curtained plate of her offerings to the god with one containing a dead mongoose. The Snake God got angry and knocked her unconscious with his venomous breath. The king sought forgiveness from the Devta
and pleaded with him to cure his wife, to which the Devta refused. Then the desperate king tried to commit suicide. Not able to withstand a devotee's death, Deva Kaljayi showed him a way to save the queen's life. He gave a crystal to the king and told him to treat it with the queen's medicine. The crystal would divert all the poison from the queen's body to the child's body. However, due to the ill effects of the poison. the queen would lose her fertility.
The kingdom was highly grieved, as was the king. Nagpasha was overjoyed that he was now the sole hair to the throne. When the child was born, everyone believed him dead because his whole body was blue and showed no signs of life. As per Hindu rituals, the newborn baby was thrown into the river. (Don't get confused about why he was not cremated. In Hindu mythology, it is believed that Yogi of high caliber can leave their body in form of soul and as a soul can perform tasks like switching between bodies or travel between different worlds. It is a Hindu ritual that when a child is stillborn, or dies in his infancy, his body is placed in the river so that if some soul wishes to use the body it can take it over. For the same reason, when adults die their bodies are destroyed by fire, because adults do have a social life and their body is likely to be misused.)
Nagpasha rejoiced and went, intoxicated, to Deva Kaljayi, the deity that also protected the grand royal treasure in form of a giant two-headed snake, and asked him to hand over the royal treasures, telling him that now he was the sole heir to the throne, so the treasure rightfully belonged to him. Deva Kaljayi refused and told him that the "real successor" to the throne was alive and when the time comes the treasure will be handed over to him. Enraged, Nagpasha raised his sword against the deity only to be thrown away by a mere flick of the giant snake's tail. Nagpasha fell upon two bowls, one containing the highly toxic venom (halahal,the greatest form of venom as believed by Hindus) which destroyed his face and mixed with his blood, and the other containing Amrit, which made him immortal. Simultaneous effects of both made Nagpasha an immortal, venomous man. At that time, Nagpasha could not tolerate the changes in his body and fainted.
When the king was informed of the happenings by Deva Kaljayi, he realized that his son was not dead and he also realized the potential dangers to his son's life. So he ordered his faithful astrologer
Vedacharya, who had great knowledge of Tilism
to enclose the treasure in a Tilism which could be broken only by his son. Vedacharya made the tilism with the cooperation of Deva Kaljayi to ensure that no one, except for the king's son, will be able to break the tilism, not even immortal Nagpasha. When Nagpasha came to his senses, he realized that he had lost the treasure. Enraged, he murdered the king and the queen.
The child, floating away on the river in his state of suspended animation
, got stuck somewhere in bushes. He laid there for a long time.
Meanwhile, the snake deity
Deva Kaljayi appeared in the dreams of King Maniraj and his wife Queen Manika, rulers of ageless Ichchhadhaari naags, living secretly on an invisible island in the Indian Ocean
called Nagdweep. He told them the location of the baby and asked them to cure him. They did so and discovered that the baby was far more venomous than the greatest snake on Nagdweep, which was Mahatma Kaaldoot, indicating that he had divine
venom of the god. Initially, the raj vaid
was unsure whether he would be able to cure the child, but since Deva Kaljayi himself asked the king for his treatment, he was assured that the treatment will work. According to the rules, no one was permitted to bring an outsider to the island, so the king decided to keep his presence a secret.
Many years passed and the treatment started showing results and, although still in the suspended animation, the color of the baby had gradually changed to green. The King gave the news to the queen and they decided to adopt the child, since they had no child of their own. Their decision was heard by Vishandhar, an evil Tantrik
who wanted to become the ruler of the island, but was afraid of Mahatma Kaaldoot. He attacked the secret area where the baby was kept and escaped with him, but fearing the wrath of the god, he decided not to kill the baby and instead placed him back into the same bushes in the river where he was found. His plan failed as the queen soon got pregnant and gave birth to a daughter who was named Visarpi.
Vishandhar never knew that the baby that he left astray was cured enough to regain his senses. First, his face and later, his whole body, turned normal color and he started crying. A priest of the nearby temple located him and gifted him to Professor Nagmani, who was wandering in the nearby forest searching for snakes. For unknown reasons, the priest narrated a fake story that the child belonged to a woman, who was a devotee of the Snake God, that had been raped. He also said that the child was blessed by an ichchhadhari naag, so he asked Nagmani to bring up the child and allows him to avenge his mother.
Nagmani realized that the priest was lying, but he took the child. The blood tests of the child showed that the child had minute, microscopic snakes in his blood, filling in for White blood cell
s. The child had extraordinary healing powers and was extremely venomous. He raised the baby, who become known as Nagraj.
Professor Nagmani used him for his other experimental projects and leased him for international terrorism. Nagmani always claimed that Nagraj's powers were evolved by feeding him bits of snake poison until his blood itself became poison. He claimed that his venom
was a result of snake bites from 1,000 different species of snakes (This echoes the Indian legends of Poison-Men or Women, specifically raised to kill by their kiss) and his other powers evolved when he was treated with ashes of a dead ichchhadhaari snake. In reality, Nagraj was much more poisonous than any species of snakes because his venom was celestial.
Based largely on the Hindu myth of the shape shifting snake, Nagraj derives most of his powers from microscopic snakes that live in his bloodstream, in lieu of white blood cells. He has a number of powers, such as superhuman strength, poisonous breath, vish-foonkaar and bite, instant healing powers, and snakes that come out of his wrists. The snakes can come out individually or form into ropes, parachutes, and many others, depending on his imagination. His venom is believed to be far stronger than Potassium Cyanide, resulting in the melting of any living being's body if he bites them or vice-versa.
For his first mission, he was sold for a sum of $1 million and was to recover an ancient statue. Nagraj succeeds, but then is foiled by the Sage Baba Gorakhnath, who frees him from the mind control of Professor Nagamani. Waking up to a newer world amid the calmness of Gorakhnath, Nagraj takes a vow to eliminate terrorism from the world and works toward achieving this goal.
In his initial issues, Nagraj's powers were too limited, and at times he was even knocked out by powerful human opponents. His strength was also quite human in nature, as he would marvel at his opponent's strength, such as when someone picked up a car. Over the years, Nagraj became powerful enough to not only pick up falling cars single-handedly, but also to achieve feats such as throwing things into outer space effortlessly.
It is notable, and perhaps ironic, that Nagraj has now been transformed into a mythical/magical creature facing fantastical creatures as his enemies, with elements of sorcery/magic and even time and space travel. Many cite this as a reason for the continuous, meteoric rise in popularity of Nagraj comics. However, purists still claim that they prefer the more realistic, more practical stories that Nagraj began with.
, Takshak
, Kaaljayi, and has defeated the likes of Kaaldoot, Trifana, Mahavyaal and Sheetnaag Kumar, who are ranked among the mightiest snakes in their species.
Nagraj, in his initial issues was a wanderer, used to bring havoc to the villains of mankind. Since an alter ego was not needed, Nagraj did not have one, but did conceal his identity under an overcoat and, sometimes, a hat as well. The attire he used to hide his real identity has been hailed by some of his fans as his alter ego, because often, no one knew that the person standing in front of them was Nagraj.
Nagraj has adopted the same alter ego in his latest World Terrorism Series. Not having any fear of being identified in case of an emergency, Nagraj instantly takes off his hat and overcoat, even when in public.
In his secret identity Raj, he pretends to be terrified of snakes. He wears spectacles, a typical business suit, and is very timid and simple. This is very similar to the character of Superman, and his alter ego Clark Kent, even his outfit, straightening of hair, and use of glasses to conceal himself. While early alter ego was based on Phantom, this alter ego was based on Superman.
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Nagraj has also been featured in an animated television series. An episodic series was being produced, based on Nagraj and his arch enemy Jadugar Shakoora, and a teaser was put uploaded on Youtube
. However, for the past one year there has been no news about the series. It is assumed that production has stopped because the production company Rtoonz's website has since disappeared.
In November 2007, an agreement was signed between Motion Picture Corporation and Raj Comics for the production of Nagraj's animated movie. They have decided to produce a high quality 2D Movie.
.
. It was first intended to be a four part mini-series, but later, the series was extended to include more issues. Raj Comics has also decided to publish it world wide. It's a story based on a hypothetical future world casting Nagraj and Super Commando Dhruva
25 years into the future. Largely based on Hindu epic Ramayana
, the story narrowly follows the same storyline as of the epic, but with Raj Comics characters filling in the places of original characters. The reason for the extension of the mini-series was in order to tell various sub-plots and the series was finally declared to be an eight part series. The last part is Iti Kaand, which is an 128 page issue released on 10 March 2009. The new series is as follows:
The names of the currently published parts are:
Ongoing as a part of the same series is "Germany Series" which is a 4 part story. Starting with an issue named "Order of the Beble," the series will begin.
----
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, and the makers of Fighter Toads.
It includes three superheroes, namely Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruva
, and Fighter Toads.
Its starting comic was Gehri Chaal (Deep Play) and 2nd comic was Level Zero.
The story involves the escape of Green Mamba
from the prison of swarn nagri and his apparent control over the city, while everyone in the city is unconscious and he begins planning something dangerous.
hosts a discussion forum, with a section specially devoted to Nagraj.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
character from Raj Comics
Raj Comics
Raj Comics is an Indian comic book line published by a division of Raja Pocket Books.Raj Comics' best-known characters include Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruva, Doga, Parmanu, Shakti, Bhokal and Super Indian.-History:...
, who can arguable be considered the longest-running Indian action comic Superhero. Created in the late 1980s by Sanjay Gupta, Nagraj has changed a lot in his 25 years in print, both in terms of looks as well as in stories. Despite the fact that comic culture had once almost vanished in India, his fan base continued to increase and is expected to greatly increase once his first animated movie is released.
Overview
The debut issue of Nagraj was written by renowned writer Parshuram Sharma and illustrated by Pratap Mulick. Mulick successfully illustrated the character for around 50 issues, ending in 1995. Since 1995, the illustration work of Nagraj has been taken over by artist and writer Anupam SinhaAnupam Sinha
Anupam Sinha is an Indian comic book artist and writer, credited as the creator of the famous Raj Comics superhero Super Commando Dhruva. He is also credited with steering Nagraj to new heights. Anupam Sinha has been said to have revolutionised Indian comics with his work at Raj Comics.-Early...
.
The name Nagraj is derived from the word "Nagaraja
Nagaraja
Nagaraja is a Sanskrit word from naga and raj meaning King of Snakes. It is applied to three main deities, Anantha , Takshak, and Vasuki. Anantha, Vasuki and Takshak are brothers, children of Kashyap and Kadru, who are the parents of all snakes...
"(Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
:नागराजा ) which is itself made up of two words "Nāga
Naga
Naga or NAGA may refer to:* Nāga, a group of serpent deities in Hindu and Buddhist mythology.-People:* Nayan / Nayar/Nair people of Kerala Society* Naga people, a diverse ethnic identity in Northeast India...
"(Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
:नाग) and "Raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
"(Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
:राजा) where the word "nāga" means snake and "raja" means king. Nagraj is believed to have been inspired by the mythological Ichchhadhari Nag
Ichchhadhari Nag
Ichchadhari Nag or Nagin is a mythical creature in Indian stories. This creature was originally a venomous snake which could take the form of any living thing, but preferred to be in the form of a human being....
(shape shifting snakes), known historical as Vishmanushya (venomous human). His stories create a rich blend of mythology, fantasy, magic, and science fiction. Many of Nagraj's fans believe that, over time, Nagraj's comics have developed a Snake Mythology of its own, which is unique to the popular Indian beliefs about snakes that are prevalent among the masses.
Nagraj was originally conceived as an enemy of international terrorism. Interestingly, in his debut issue, Nagraj was unleashed as an international terror weapon by the evil scientist Professor Nagmani. Nagraj, in this first mission, was tasked with stealing a golden statue of a Goddess from a temple that was protected by tribal devotees, snakes, and by a mysterious 300 year old Sadhu
Sadhu
In Hinduism, sādhu denotes an ascetic, wandering monk. Although the vast majority of sādhus are yogīs, not all yogīs are sādhus. The sādhu is solely dedicated to achieving mokṣa , the fourth and final aśrama , through meditation and contemplation of brahman...
named Baba Gorakhnath. Nagraj succeeded in his task, but upon confrontation with Gorakhnath and his mystic Black Mongoose
Mongoose
Mongoose are a family of 33 living species of small carnivorans from southern Eurasia and mainland Africa. Four additional species from Madagascar in the subfamily Galidiinae, which were previously classified in this family, are also referred to as "mongooses" or "mongoose-like"...
hikangi, was defeated. Gorakhnath read his mind and discovered that Professor Nagmani had implanted a mind control device in the form of a capsule in Nagraj's head, in order to keep him under his control. Gorakhnath operated and removed the capsule from Nagraj's head, setting Nagraj free of Professor Nagmani's control. Nagraj then became Baba Goraknath's disciple and vowed to eliminate crime and terror from the Earth. Since then, Nagraj has thrice toured the world and defeated many villains and terrorists.
Presently, Nagraj lives as Raj in a fictional Metropolitan City Mahanagar as an employee of a TV Channel that is secretly owned by himself.
Fictional Character Biography
In ancient times, when gods still visited Earth without any restrictions, there existed a kingdom known as Takshaknagar, ruled by King Takshakraj and Queen Lalita. The ruling couple had no worries except for one: the fact that they had no children. The absence of a prince or princess made Nagpasha the only potential heir to the throne. Nagpasha was the younger identical brother of the King Takshakraj. Knowing that he was the only potential heir to the throne, Nagpasha started living a lavish worry-free life.As time passed, Queen Lalita started getting depressed about not having a child of her own. The king realized the cause of her depression and got upset as well. The couple used to pray to their family deity Deva
Deva (Hinduism)
' is the Sanskrit word for god or deity, its related feminine term is devi. In modern Hinduism, it can be loosely interpreted as any benevolent supernatural beings. The devs in Hinduism, also called Suras, are often juxtaposed to the Asuras, their half brothers. Devs are also the maintainers of...
Kaljayi for his blessings. Deva Kaljayi also knew of their grievances, so one day he blessed them to have a great child. His blessings came true as the queen soon became pregnant and the whole kingdom rejoiced, except for Nagpasha. The birth of this child meant the loss of the throne for him, so he decided to kill the child before he was born.
One day when the queen was going to pray to Deva Kaljayi, Nagpasha replaced the curtained plate of her offerings to the god with one containing a dead mongoose. The Snake God got angry and knocked her unconscious with his venomous breath. The king sought forgiveness from the Devta
Devta
Devta is a serialized fantasy story written in the Urdu language by Mohiuddin Nawab. It was published monthly for 33 years in the Pakistani magazine Suspense Digest, which is available in Pakistan, India and various parts of world where Urdu is spoken...
and pleaded with him to cure his wife, to which the Devta refused. Then the desperate king tried to commit suicide. Not able to withstand a devotee's death, Deva Kaljayi showed him a way to save the queen's life. He gave a crystal to the king and told him to treat it with the queen's medicine. The crystal would divert all the poison from the queen's body to the child's body. However, due to the ill effects of the poison. the queen would lose her fertility.
The kingdom was highly grieved, as was the king. Nagpasha was overjoyed that he was now the sole hair to the throne. When the child was born, everyone believed him dead because his whole body was blue and showed no signs of life. As per Hindu rituals, the newborn baby was thrown into the river. (Don't get confused about why he was not cremated. In Hindu mythology, it is believed that Yogi of high caliber can leave their body in form of soul and as a soul can perform tasks like switching between bodies or travel between different worlds. It is a Hindu ritual that when a child is stillborn, or dies in his infancy, his body is placed in the river so that if some soul wishes to use the body it can take it over. For the same reason, when adults die their bodies are destroyed by fire, because adults do have a social life and their body is likely to be misused.)
Nagpasha rejoiced and went, intoxicated, to Deva Kaljayi, the deity that also protected the grand royal treasure in form of a giant two-headed snake, and asked him to hand over the royal treasures, telling him that now he was the sole heir to the throne, so the treasure rightfully belonged to him. Deva Kaljayi refused and told him that the "real successor" to the throne was alive and when the time comes the treasure will be handed over to him. Enraged, Nagpasha raised his sword against the deity only to be thrown away by a mere flick of the giant snake's tail. Nagpasha fell upon two bowls, one containing the highly toxic venom (halahal,the greatest form of venom as believed by Hindus) which destroyed his face and mixed with his blood, and the other containing Amrit, which made him immortal. Simultaneous effects of both made Nagpasha an immortal, venomous man. At that time, Nagpasha could not tolerate the changes in his body and fainted.
When the king was informed of the happenings by Deva Kaljayi, he realized that his son was not dead and he also realized the potential dangers to his son's life. So he ordered his faithful astrologer
Astrologer
An astrologer practices one or more forms of astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a horoscope for the time of an event, such as a person's birth, and interprets celestial points and their placements at the time of the event to better understand someone, determine the auspiciousness of an...
Vedacharya, who had great knowledge of Tilism
Amulet
An amulet, similar to a talisman , is any object intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner.Potential amulets include gems, especially engraved gems, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants and animals; even words said in certain occasions—for example: vade retro satana—, to...
to enclose the treasure in a Tilism which could be broken only by his son. Vedacharya made the tilism with the cooperation of Deva Kaljayi to ensure that no one, except for the king's son, will be able to break the tilism, not even immortal Nagpasha. When Nagpasha came to his senses, he realized that he had lost the treasure. Enraged, he murdered the king and the queen.
The child, floating away on the river in his state of suspended animation
Suspended animation
Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold can be used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions; use...
, got stuck somewhere in bushes. He laid there for a long time.
Meanwhile, the snake deity
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
Deva Kaljayi appeared in the dreams of King Maniraj and his wife Queen Manika, rulers of ageless Ichchhadhaari naags, living secretly on an invisible island in 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...
called Nagdweep. He told them the location of the baby and asked them to cure him. They did so and discovered that the baby was far more venomous than the greatest snake on Nagdweep, which was Mahatma Kaaldoot, indicating that he had divine
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
venom of the god. Initially, the raj vaid
Vaid
Vaid is a Brahmin clan from the Punjab, one of the seven clans of the Mohyals. The words Vaid and Rajvaid are particularly used to denote medical professionals in Indian history.- Gotra :The gotra or founding lineage of the Vaids is Dhanvantari...
was unsure whether he would be able to cure the child, but since Deva Kaljayi himself asked the king for his treatment, he was assured that the treatment will work. According to the rules, no one was permitted to bring an outsider to the island, so the king decided to keep his presence a secret.
Many years passed and the treatment started showing results and, although still in the suspended animation, the color of the baby had gradually changed to green. The King gave the news to the queen and they decided to adopt the child, since they had no child of their own. Their decision was heard by Vishandhar, an evil Tantrik
Tantra
Tantra , anglicised tantricism or tantrism or tantram, is the name scholars give to an inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, expressed in scriptures ....
who wanted to become the ruler of the island, but was afraid of Mahatma Kaaldoot. He attacked the secret area where the baby was kept and escaped with him, but fearing the wrath of the god, he decided not to kill the baby and instead placed him back into the same bushes in the river where he was found. His plan failed as the queen soon got pregnant and gave birth to a daughter who was named Visarpi.
Vishandhar never knew that the baby that he left astray was cured enough to regain his senses. First, his face and later, his whole body, turned normal color and he started crying. A priest of the nearby temple located him and gifted him to Professor Nagmani, who was wandering in the nearby forest searching for snakes. For unknown reasons, the priest narrated a fake story that the child belonged to a woman, who was a devotee of the Snake God, that had been raped. He also said that the child was blessed by an ichchhadhari naag, so he asked Nagmani to bring up the child and allows him to avenge his mother.
Nagmani realized that the priest was lying, but he took the child. The blood tests of the child showed that the child had minute, microscopic snakes in his blood, filling in for White blood cell
White blood cell
White blood cells, or leukocytes , are cells of the immune system involved in defending the body against both infectious disease and foreign materials. Five different and diverse types of leukocytes exist, but they are all produced and derived from a multipotent cell in the bone marrow known as a...
s. The child had extraordinary healing powers and was extremely venomous. He raised the baby, who become known as Nagraj.
Plot Summary
Nagraj was presented to the world as a creation of Professor Nagmani. He was meant to be an ultimate killing machine, and his original plan was to hire out Nagraj to the highest bidder among villains and terrorist groups of the world.Professor Nagmani used him for his other experimental projects and leased him for international terrorism. Nagmani always claimed that Nagraj's powers were evolved by feeding him bits of snake poison until his blood itself became poison. He claimed that his venom
Venom
Venom is the general term referring to any variety of toxins used by certain types of animals that inject it into their victims by the means of a bite or a sting...
was a result of snake bites from 1,000 different species of snakes (This echoes the Indian legends of Poison-Men or Women, specifically raised to kill by their kiss) and his other powers evolved when he was treated with ashes of a dead ichchhadhaari snake. In reality, Nagraj was much more poisonous than any species of snakes because his venom was celestial.
Based largely on the Hindu myth of the shape shifting snake, Nagraj derives most of his powers from microscopic snakes that live in his bloodstream, in lieu of white blood cells. He has a number of powers, such as superhuman strength, poisonous breath, vish-foonkaar and bite, instant healing powers, and snakes that come out of his wrists. The snakes can come out individually or form into ropes, parachutes, and many others, depending on his imagination. His venom is believed to be far stronger than Potassium Cyanide, resulting in the melting of any living being's body if he bites them or vice-versa.
For his first mission, he was sold for a sum of $1 million and was to recover an ancient statue. Nagraj succeeds, but then is foiled by the Sage Baba Gorakhnath, who frees him from the mind control of Professor Nagamani. Waking up to a newer world amid the calmness of Gorakhnath, Nagraj takes a vow to eliminate terrorism from the world and works toward achieving this goal.
In his initial issues, Nagraj's powers were too limited, and at times he was even knocked out by powerful human opponents. His strength was also quite human in nature, as he would marvel at his opponent's strength, such as when someone picked up a car. Over the years, Nagraj became powerful enough to not only pick up falling cars single-handedly, but also to achieve feats such as throwing things into outer space effortlessly.
It is notable, and perhaps ironic, that Nagraj has now been transformed into a mythical/magical creature facing fantastical creatures as his enemies, with elements of sorcery/magic and even time and space travel. Many cite this as a reason for the continuous, meteoric rise in popularity of Nagraj comics. However, purists still claim that they prefer the more realistic, more practical stories that Nagraj began with.
Vital Statistics
Following are Nagraj's vital statistics:- Age : Ageless
- Height : 6 ft 2 in
- Weight : 89 kg
- Eyes : Blue
- Hair : Black
Powers and abilities
Nagraj is arguably the most powerful superhero in the Raj Comics Universe and is among the most powerful Icchadhari Naagas of his time. Time and again, he has even shown the potential of challenging the Supreme Snake-Gods like Sheshnaag, VasukiVasuki
Vasuki is a Sanskrit name for a naga, one of the serpents of Buddhist and Hindu mythology. He is a great King of the nagas and has a gem on his head. Manasa, another naga, is his sister...
, Takshak
Takshak
Thakshak or Taxak, classically called the Taxilleans , is a gotra or clan of Jats and Rajputs found in India, Pakistan. This clan has descended from Nagavansh king named Takshaka.- The Shavi dynasty :...
, Kaaljayi, and has defeated the likes of Kaaldoot, Trifana, Mahavyaal and Sheetnaag Kumar, who are ranked among the mightiest snakes in their species.
- Nagraj's primary power is his ability to contain millions of snakes inside his body, becoming a host for a variety of snakes. He can order them to come out of his body and attack his opponents, and also instruct them to create simple forms, such as ropes, lassos, webs, gloves, pipes, etc., as well as complex forms, such as a parachute, boat, gliders, and many others.
- Aside from ordinary snakes, he also has a wide variety of mystical snakes like Jagmag Sarp, snakes with bodies that shine brightly in the dark, Naagfani Sarp, snakes with stretchable, spike-covered bodies, which can pierce through anything and elongate themselves as well, Dhwansak Sarp, explosive snakes which explodes as soon as their body come in contact with anything, Maanas Sarp, psionic snakes which enable Nagraj to split his astral psyche from his body, Udan Sarp, winged snakes which can fly, among others. These snakes multiply rapidly, thus making them limitless in numbers.
- He also hosts several Icchadhari Sarp, shape-shifting snakes, in his body, such as Sheetnaag Kumar, The Prince of Sheetnaags, who has the ability to manipulate ice, Saudangi, an Egyptian snake woman who is a master of Tantra-Kala, or sorcery, Naagu, a Manidhhari snake, which is a snake with a diamond like gem on his forehead, whose 'Mani' grants him powers such as shape-shifting, illusion-casting, energy-based attacks, etc., and the Vilakshana Naags. These snakes can come out of his body at will and aid him in battles.
- Nagraj's body holds the most dangerous venom, the Halaahal, and thus his bite is fatal to almost every human being and Naags in this world. Anyone he bites, or vice versa, melts to nothing in a few seconds. His breath also consists of some amount of this venom, thus enabling Nagraj to concentrate all this venom into his one breath, which he calls Vish-Funkaar, which results in a quick death for anyone who inhales it. He can also spit this venom on others, which he uses in his Vish-Funkaar, which is equally dangerous and fatal. This venom is combined in his blood, thus anyone who tastes his blood die almost instantly.
- All of Nagraj's physical attributes have reached super-human level, and his strength, stamina, durability, agility, reflexes, and speed are far beyond the peak human level.
- He also has accelerated healing factor, which heals any wounds almost instantly, thanks to the millions of snakes in his body who aid in the healing. Thus guns, swords, blades, etc. are useless against him.
- All of his primary senses have been enhanced to super-human level, which makes his eyesight and hearing far better than any human. He can also sense vibrations in the environment, thus allowing him to navigate and combat even without using his eyesight. He also has a sixth-sense, which he uses if his other five senses are not of much help. Being a highly poisonous Human-Snake (He refuses to be called a snake-man), poisons and drugs have absolutely no effect on him, making him immune to them.
- Being an IchchhadhariIchchhadhari NagIchchadhari Nag or Nagin is a mythical creature in Indian stories. This creature was originally a venomous snake which could take the form of any living thing, but preferred to be in the form of a human being....
, he has shape-shifting abilities and can shape-shift into any creature or person he desires. He can also use this power to grow wings, claws, as well as fins on his body for better navigation and combat. Thanks to his shape-shifting abilities, he can grow his size and proportional strength to even higher levels. Although he lost many of his shape-shifting powers during the events of the issue "Icchadhari", still he retains his ability to turn into a snake at will. He can also use his Icchadhari shakti to break free his atoms, rendering himself invisible and intangible, in order to dodge attacks and pass through barriers, though he can only remain in this form for three seconds. His Icchadhari shakti also protects his head from any assaults and attacks, thus any telepathic or electromagnetic attack on his brain backfires on the source.
- Nagraj possesses the ability to shed his skin, in the same way as a snake sheds its Kenchuli, in case some harmful substance, like acid, comes in contact with his skin.
- Nagraj can also stick to surfaces and climb walls in a way some snakes do.
- He is a master of hypnotism and can hypnotize anyone in a matter of seconds, in order to cast illusions and force the victims into believing or obeying whatever he tells them.
- Nagraj has reached a level of strength which could be comparable to legendary superheroes like DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' SupermanSupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
. He can easily hold a car or throw a bus in air without a problem, as seen in his comic "Venom" in which he was badly injured, having most of his bones broken, but in order to save the people from a fire dragon, he managed to lift up a 100 tones kilogram globe and threw it into the mouth of the fire dragon, which was flying 100 meters above the ground.
- Nagraj also possess some unknown amount of psychic powers which is very dangerous and he can increase his psychic powers with the help of his snake.
Early Alter Ego
Nagraj has adopted the same alter ego in his latest World Terrorism Series. Not having any fear of being identified in case of an emergency, Nagraj instantly takes off his hat and overcoat, even when in public.
Past Alter Ego
His past alter ego was Raj, who is the fumbling, bumbling public relations officer of Bharti Communications, a fictional company in the storyline, that he owns.In his secret identity Raj, he pretends to be terrified of snakes. He wears spectacles, a typical business suit, and is very timid and simple. This is very similar to the character of Superman, and his alter ego Clark Kent, even his outfit, straightening of hair, and use of glasses to conceal himself. While early alter ego was based on Phantom, this alter ego was based on Superman.
Current Alter Ego
As per Nagraj's comic "Nagraj Ke Baad," his alter ego has changed again due to the circumstance that he was forced to reveal his true identity. Now, according to the current storyline, he works as the manager of his new security agency "Snake Eyes." His new name is Nagraj Patel. The company is owned by M.S.A.U. Dangi or Saudangi which resides in his body and is a shape-shifting (icchadhari) snake woman.Enemies
Innumerable enemies of Nagraj have appeared in Nagraj's comics; many died, but some lived on to appear again. Here is the list of Nagraj's major enemies that are still alive and who can be expected to make a comeback in future issues :- Professor Nagmani : Nagraj's so-called creator who brought up Nagraj.
- Thodanga : A strange African human beast, characteristics match Rhino, Elephant and Turtle.
- Nagdant : A jealous, comparatively weaker copy of Nagraj made by Professor Nagmani.
- Tutan Khamen : Ancient Egyptian mummy whose main power-source, his mask, was snatched away by Nagraj.
- Miss Killer : Beautiful, young, evil scientist from Japan.
- Nagina : A female tantrik and shape-shifting snake.
- Vishandhar : A male tantrik and shape-shifting snake.
- Jaadugar Shakura : An evil sorcerer from an alien planet of immortal wizard dwarfs.
- Nagpasha : Nagraj's immortal venomous uncle who murdered his parents.
- Gurudev : Nagpasha's guru, a man good with science but evil on intentions who wishes to rule the world though Nagpasha.
- Kentuki : A student of Nagpasha's Gurudeva, who is a physically powerful snake having the strength of fifty elephants.
- Polka : A terrorist and scientist who works for Nagpasha.
- Zulu : An African exorcist and scientist.
- Sapera : A man whose power is Nagraj's weakness, i.e. snake charming music.
- Karanvashi : A magician who uses hypnotism to enslave people.
- See-Through : An invisible soul that stole a big share of Nagraj's shape-shifting power, but still wants more.
- Vish-Amrit : Duo of Paranatural powers troubling innocents on Earth while playing hide and seek.
- Khalnayak Nagraj : Evil part of Nagraj's brain which still exists in his unconscious mind.
- Tantra : Bharti's nanaji (maternal grandfather) who took over Bharti's brother Agraj's body and wants to rule the world.
Known Relatives and Close Friends
Nagraj, along with his deeds, has earned a large amount of friends, many of whom appeared just once, but some that appeared more often, and still fewer that became permanent figures in Nagraj's stories. Here is a list of some very well-known characters in his comics :- King Takshakraj : father, deceased
- Queen Lalita : mother, deceased
- Baba Gorakhnath : Mentor
- Mahatma Kaaldoot : Mentor
- Dada Vedacharya : Mentor
- Deva Kaaljayi : Family Deity
- Nagpasha : Uncle (enemy)
- Bharti : Friend
- Visarpi : Queen Of Nagdweep, love interest of Nagraj
- Nagrani : Mother to Nagraj's son Nageesh in a parallel dimensionParallel universe (fiction)A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
- Super Commando Dhruva : Best Friend and an ally superhero
- Saudangi : An Egyptian she-snake with thorns on her body that lives in his body
- Sheetnag kumar : Friend that lives in his body
- Naagu : Friend that lives in his body
- Vishaank : Visarpi's brother and Nagraj's ally in form of Chhota(kid) Nagraj
- Mahavyaal : Ruler of the ichchhadhaari naags living in water.
- Nageesh : Son that lives with mother Nagrani in a parallel dimensionParallel universe (fiction)A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
- Sillu : Friend and computer expert
- A Iyer: Tamil tutor (Nagraj's latet obsession is to learn new languages)
- Professor Srikant: Invisible killer (Adrishya Hatyara) with a situationally-driven personality
New Media
Nagraj was adapted into a live-action television show in India. However, the show never made it to the television screen. The reason was pretty clear and was due to the poor quality of the special effects. Raj Comics was not satisfied with the quality of the show. The production of more episodes was placed on indefinite hiatus. The three episodes that were made are available on CDs, which were distributed freely as an attachment to digest-sized comic editions. (Khalnayak Nagraj, Samraat, and Saudangi)Nagraj has also been featured in an animated television series. An episodic series was being produced, based on Nagraj and his arch enemy Jadugar Shakoora, and a teaser was put uploaded on Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. However, for the past one year there has been no news about the series. It is assumed that production has stopped because the production company Rtoonz's website has since disappeared.
In November 2007, an agreement was signed between Motion Picture Corporation and Raj Comics for the production of Nagraj's animated movie. They have decided to produce a high quality 2D Movie.
Nagraj's Comic Issues
Over two decades, Nagraj has appeared in various comic titles published by Raj ComicsRaj Comics
Raj Comics is an Indian comic book line published by a division of Raja Pocket Books.Raj Comics' best-known characters include Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruva, Doga, Parmanu, Shakti, Bhokal and Super Indian.-History:...
.
Nagayana
Raj Comics is publishing a landmark new series featuring Nagraj named NagayanaNagayana
Nagayana is a Raj Comics summer 2007 - 08 crossover event . Nagayan depicts the alternate future of Nagraj and Super Commando Dhruva. First Comic of the series titled Varan Kaand was released in the June 2007. Nagayana was supposed to be finished by Diwali, the biggest Hindu festival so as...
. It was first intended to be a four part mini-series, but later, the series was extended to include more issues. Raj Comics has also decided to publish it world wide. It's a story based on a hypothetical future world casting Nagraj and Super Commando Dhruva
Super Commando Dhruva
Super Commando Dhruva is a fictional superhero in comic books published by Raj Comics. The character first appeared in "Pratishodh Ki Jwala" and was created by writer and artist Anupam Sinha...
25 years into the future. Largely based on Hindu epic Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
, the story narrowly follows the same storyline as of the epic, but with Raj Comics characters filling in the places of original characters. The reason for the extension of the mini-series was in order to tell various sub-plots and the series was finally declared to be an eight part series. The last part is Iti Kaand, which is an 128 page issue released on 10 March 2009. The new series is as follows:
| Issue No. | Comic Title | Publication Status | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Varan Kaand | Published | |
| 2 | Grahan Kaand | Published | |
| 3 | Haran Kaand | Published | |
| 4 | Sharan Kaand | Published | |
| 5 | Dahan Kaand | Published | |
| 6 | Rann Kaand | Published | |
| 7 | Samar Kaand | Published | |
| 8 | Iti Kaand | Published | |
World Terrorism Series
A new series named "Aatanqharta Nagraj" or "Nagraj-World Terrorism Series" is being published parallel to the "Nagayana" series. In this series, Nagraj is traveling around the world to fight and eliminate terrorism. It is not yet decided how many parts this series will have.- Hari Maut
- Zahreela Barooda
- Mamber
- Numero Uno
- Operation Surgery
- Mission Critical
- Teen Sikke
- Jung Maut Tak
- Under Arrest
- Ometra - the code of silence
- Aankh Micholi
- Paanchva Shikaar
- 26/11 series (with DogaDoga (comics)Doga is a hero character appearing in Raj Comics, published and distributed across India. Created by Tarun kumar Wahi, Sanjay Gupta & artist Manu in the year 1992, Doga is the first and the only antihero character in Raj Comics...
) - Ronin
- Kame Kazi
- Tomo-The katana
- Shikata Ga Nai
- I-SPY (with Tiranga )
Ongoing as a part of the same series is "Germany Series" which is a 4 part story. Starting with an issue named "Order of the Beble," the series will begin.
----
Nagraj Ke Baad
'Nagraj ke Baad'(After Nagraj) is a three part series (Nagraj ke baad, Fuel, and Venom) starting with a comic of the same name. It deals with a time when Nagraj is killed by his enemies and now the world is facing serious threats from the villains.----
Swarn Nagri
It is a two part series which deals with something going dangerously wrong in Swarn Nagri, the home of Deva-Jaati, an allied force of Super Commando DhruvaSuper Commando Dhruva
Super Commando Dhruva is a fictional superhero in comic books published by Raj Comics. The character first appeared in "Pratishodh Ki Jwala" and was created by writer and artist Anupam Sinha...
, and the makers of Fighter Toads.
It includes three superheroes, namely Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruva
Super Commando Dhruva
Super Commando Dhruva is a fictional superhero in comic books published by Raj Comics. The character first appeared in "Pratishodh Ki Jwala" and was created by writer and artist Anupam Sinha...
, and Fighter Toads.
Its starting comic was Gehri Chaal (Deep Play) and 2nd comic was Level Zero.
The story involves the escape of Green Mamba
Green mamba
Green mamba may refer to:* Eastern green mamba* Western green mamba...
from the prison of swarn nagri and his apparent control over the city, while everyone in the city is unconscious and he begins planning something dangerous.
Nagraj Parallel Series
These days Raj Comics have published three parallel series of Nagraj, where each Nagraj is involved in a different universe. Currently we have the following three parallel Nagraj series:- Nagraj - The original ongoing series of Nagraj, which is currently being illustrated by Mr. Anupam Sinha.
- Aatankharta Nagraj - This Nagraj appears in the World Terrorism series. It the series, Nagraj no longer resides in Mahanagar. but instead, is traveling in different parts of the world fighting terrorism. This series, until now, has not portrayed villains with supernatural powers, but are more like gangsters or dons of different countries/cities. Currently it is illustrated by Mr. Hemant.
- Narak Nashak Nagraj - This Nagraj is a bit different from the original Nagraj in appearance. He wears a jacket and a trouser and has longer hair. He also possesses different powers (Sheetika, Takshika, and Agnika) than the original Nagraj. He also rides on a flying snake named Sarpat. Until now, the series has shown him fighting vampires, demons, zombies, etc. I it currently illustrated by Mr. Hemant.
Discussion forum
Raj ComicsRaj Comics
Raj Comics is an Indian comic book line published by a division of Raja Pocket Books.Raj Comics' best-known characters include Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruva, Doga, Parmanu, Shakti, Bhokal and Super Indian.-History:...
hosts a discussion forum, with a section specially devoted to Nagraj.
- Forum by Raj ComicsRaj ComicsRaj Comics is an Indian comic book line published by a division of Raja Pocket Books.Raj Comics' best-known characters include Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruva, Doga, Parmanu, Shakti, Bhokal and Super Indian.-History:...
- Nagraj discussion forums on Raj ComicsRaj ComicsRaj Comics is an Indian comic book line published by a division of Raja Pocket Books.Raj Comics' best-known characters include Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruva, Doga, Parmanu, Shakti, Bhokal and Super Indian.-History:...
Forums - Nagraj comics reviews on Raj ComicsRaj ComicsRaj Comics is an Indian comic book line published by a division of Raja Pocket Books.Raj Comics' best-known characters include Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruva, Doga, Parmanu, Shakti, Bhokal and Super Indian.-History:...
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