Yali (mythology)

Yali in pillars at Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple

Yali (IAST: Yāḻi),^[1] (Tamil: யாழி) also called Vyala,^[2] is a Hindu mythological creature, portrayed with the head and the body of a lion, the trunk and the tusks of an elephant, and sometimes bearing equine features.^[3]

The creature is represented in many South Indian temples, often sculpted onto the pillars.^[4] There also exist variations of the creature, with it possessing the appendages of other beasts. It has sometimes been described as a leogryph (part-lion and part-griffin),^[5] with some bird-like features, with the trunk referred to as a proboscis.^[6]

^ Dalal, Roshen (2010). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books India. p. 470. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.
^ www.wisdomlib.org (2021-08-31). "Figure 149. Yali [Sculptures in temples in Kumbakonam]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
^ www.wisdomlib.org (2021-11-07). "Yali, Yāḷi: 1 definition". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
^ Geer, Alexandra Anna Enrica van der (2008). Animals in Stone: Indian Mammals Sculptured Through Time. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-16819-0.
^ "Carved wood bracket – description". British Museum. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
^ Walker, Benjamin (2019-04-09). Hindu World: An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism. In Two Volumes. Volume I A-L. Routledge. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-429-62465-0.

[1] Dalal, Roshen (2010). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books India. p. 470. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.

[2] www.wisdomlib.org (2021-08-31). "Figure 149. Yali [Sculptures in temples in Kumbakonam]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2022-09-30.

[3] www.wisdomlib.org (2021-11-07). "Yali, Yāḷi: 1 definition". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2022-09-30.

[4] Geer, Alexandra Anna Enrica van der (2008). Animals in Stone: Indian Mammals Sculptured Through Time. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-16819-0.

[5] "Carved wood bracket – description". British Museum. Retrieved 13 December 2011.

[6] Walker, Benjamin (2019-04-09). Hindu World: An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism. In Two Volumes. Volume I A-L. Routledge. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-429-62465-0.

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