Rainbow Serpent by various animal, insect, and plant species. The Carpet snake is considered a form that the Rainbow Serpent can take by the Walmadjari people. Furthermore, four snakes may have served as inspiration for the Rainbow Serpent. These include the Scrub or Amethystine python, the Taipan, and the File snake, each of which possesses a characteristic that was associated with the Rainbow Serpent, however the most likely inspiration for the Rainbow Serpent is speculated to be the Water python ("Liasis fuscus") In Queensland, a fossil of a snake was found, and they believe that it came from the prehistoric family of
Snake worship and flowers are offered and lights are burned before the shrines. Among some Indians, a cobra which is accidentally killed is burned like a human being; no one would kill one intentionally. The serpent-god's image is carried in an annual procession by a celibate priestess. At one time there were many prevalent different renditions of the serpent cult located in India. In Northern India, a masculine version of the serpent named Nagaraja and known as the “king of the serpents” was worshipped. Instead of the “king of the serpents,” actual live snakes were worshipped in Southern India (Bhattacharyya 1965, p.