Gugga

Who is Gugga?

Gugga was an Indian Hindu warrior-king whom some members of the Chauhan communuity believe to be their ancestor. He has been deified as a snake demigod and is a prominent figure among those who follow the Nāga cult in what is now Rajasthan and since the seventeenth century has been worshipped in the Western Himalayas also, possibly as a consequence of migration there from Rajasthan. He is particularly popular among those engaged in agrarian pursuits, for whom the fear of snakebite is common. Although a Hindu, he has many Muslim devotees and is chiefly considered to be a saint who had the power to cure the effects of poison.

Although there are references to him in the folklore of Rajasthan, little historical knowledge of Gugga exists other than that he ruled the small kingdom of Dandera, fought against Muslims and was a contemporary of Prithviraj Chauhan.

He was reputed to be a disciple of Guru Gorakhnath. He learnt the way of entering and leaving solid earth and was initiated in it by a Muslim Pir. Probably there was some relationship between Jhule Lal the great Pir of Sindh and Gugga Pir.