If closed, the pustaha takes the form of a beast standing on its four hooves. The top panel is surmounted with a carved representation of the serpent-like animal with the head of a singa. At the bottom panel is four legs or hooves. Achim Sibeth, author of The Batak, commented that the animal is the representation of the Naga Padoha, a primordial water serpent that rules the underworld. A Batak creation myth told that in primordial times when the world was all ocean, the serpent stirred up sand from the ocean bed to create the first islands which create the islands of Indonesia. Other expert thinks that the figure represents the singa. The word singa, borrowed from Sanskrit singa meaning "lion", dates back to the time of the first contact with Hindu traders in the southern Batak area. In Batak culture, however, the singa is a complicated mythical creature related to the female serpent. An example of the representation of singa can be found in a wooden animal head collected by Tassilo Adam, a German planter and an enthusiast in Batak Toba culture.
