Muchalinda Lake is a small sacred pond adjacent to the Mahabodhi Temple, associated with the legend of the Naga king Muchalinda. According to the Buddhist scriptures, soon after the Buddha's enlightenment a great storm arose and the serpent king Muchalinda rose from the lake and coiled his body seven times around the meditating Buddha, spreading his hood over him like an umbrella to protect him from the rain and cold. The central island in the lake holds a statue depicting this scene: the Buddha seated in meditation, sheltered by the raised hood of the great snake.
The lake is small and enclosed, but it is a genuinely quiet corner of the temple complex — away from the main procession routes, with ducks on the water and pigeons in the surrounding trees. Pilgrims often pause here to reflect before or after visiting the Bodhi Tree.