Dharaá¹Âendra is the Yaksha (attendant deity and protective god) or à ÂÃÂsana devatàof Parshvanatha, the twenty-third Tirthankara in Jainism. He enjoys an independent religious life and is very popular amongst Jains. According to the Digambara Jain tradition, when PÃÂrà ÂvanÃÂtha was a prince, he saved two snakes (a nÃÂga and a nÃÂgina) that had been trapped in a log in the ritual fire of a sorcerer named Kamaá¹Âha. Later, these snakes were reborn as Dharaá¹Âendra, the lord (ruler) of the underworld NÃÂgaloka, and Padmavati (as his consort). They then sheltered ascetic PÃÂrà ÂvanÃÂtha when he was harassed by Meghalin (Kamaá¹ÂhaâÂÂs reborn).
Whereas, the à ÂvetÃÂmbara tradition does not list PadmÃÂvatë among the queens of Dharaá¹Âendra.
Western Ganga literature states that NÃÂga-rÃÂja Dharaá¹Âendra was worshipped for acquiring sons.