The Nāga of Hindu mythology are serpent deities, and are the caretakers of lakes and water sources. Lord Shiva has a close association with the Nāga, and is often said to wear them as ornaments. The Nag Dhunga is a rock on which Lord Shiva once rested, identified as such by ancient Vedic priests, at a time when Brahmanism was spreading out from the Indian Subcontinent into the mountain regions of Nepal's Himalayas and to Mount Kailash in Tibet.