Scientific name

Herpestes edwardsi Geoffrey

Common name

Mongoose

Hindi

Mangus / Newal / Newara

Sanskrit 

Nukula

Distribution

Throughout India

Religious association

The mongoose is often depicted on the lap of Kubera, a yaksha and a receptacle of treasure.

The Buddhist equivalent of Kubera is Jambhala, who holds the mongoose in his right hand and a citrus fruit in the left. It is believed that when Jambhala presses the two sides of the animal, it vomits treasures.