According to the Jatakas, kinnaras are fairies and are shown as going in pairs noted for mutual love and devotion. The figure of Yaksha with a horse head illustrated in Bodh Gaya sculptures in however a kinnari as the Jataka illustrating it treats her as a demi-god. The Vishnudharmottara describes Kinnara as half-man and half-horse, but the correct nature of kinnara as Buddhists understood is half-man and half-bird which is different from the centaur-like Kinnaras of the Hindu mythology. In Hindu mythology, kinnara is described as half-man, half-horse, and half-bird. In the Sanskrit language, the name kinnara contains a question mark ( Sanskrit : किन्नर?) i.e. Picture of Kinnari sculpture from Rameswaram. A classical dance titled Robam Kenorei depicts kinnaris playing in a lotus pond. The Kenorei is a character archetype in the repertoire of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia, appearing as mischievous groups that have a strong allurement. Kinnari are considered symbols of beauty and are skilled dancers.
They are commonly seen carved into support figurines for the columns of post-Angkorian architecture. The female counterpart, the kinnari ( កិន្នរី IPA: ), are depicted in Cambodian art and literature more often than the male counterparts.
In Cambodia, the kinnaras are known in the Khmer language as kenar ( កិន្នរ, កិន្នរា IPA: or IPA: ). The kinnara and kinnari couple is considered the symbol of the Karenni people. The Myanmar Academy Awards statue for Academy Award winners is of a kinnari. In Burmese art, kinnari are depicted with covered breasts. The flag of Kayah State (Karenni State) includes a depiction of the kinnara. Schafer notes that in East Asian religious art, the kinnara is often confused with the Kalaviṅka, which is also a half-human, half-bird hybrid creature, but that the two are actually distinct and unrelated. They are renowned for their dance, song and poetry, and are a traditional symbol of feminine beauty, grace and accomplishment.Įdward H. One of the many creatures that inhabit the mythical Himavanta, kinnaris have the head, torso, and arms of a woman and the wings, tail and feet of a swan. In Southeast Asian Buddhist mythology, kinnaris, the female counterpart of kinnaras, are depicted as half-bird, half-woman creatures. They are featured in a number of Buddhist texts, including the Jataka tales and Lotus Sutra. Our life is a life of perpetual pleasures. In between us we do not permit any third creature demanding affection.
We are eternally husband and wife never do we become mother and father. Their character is also clarified in the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata, where they say: An ancient Indian string instrument is known as the Kinnari vina. Believed to come from the Himalayas, they often watch over the wellbeing of humans in times of trouble or danger. In these traditions, the kinnaras (male) and kinnaris (female counterpart) are two of the most beloved mythological characters. Statue of a kinnara in The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Bangkok ( Thailand).Ī kinnara is a celestial musician, part human and part bird, who are musically paradigmatic lovers, in Hinduism and Buddhism.