Kinnari
Gilt copper alloy
Kinnari
CHINA; Ming dynasty
The kinnari has the head of a human and the body of a bird. It is a heavenly musician in Hindu mythology and was adopted to become one of the Eight Classes of Dharma Protectors in Buddhism.
This kinnari has a five-leaf crown, earrings, necklaces, and a flowing stole. It is holding its hands in a mudra. There are wings behind the arms and claws at the feet, and the lower body is made of feathers. Kinnaris are often seen decorating the roofs of Tibetan monasteries for protection and the avoidance of calamities.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts, page 161.
Cite this article:
Hsingyun, et al. "Kinnari." Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts , vol. 18, 2016, pp. 161.
Hsingyun, Youheng, Youji, Stefanie Pokorski, Mankuang, and Wen Fan. 2016. "Kinnari" In Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts , 18:161.
Hsingyun, Youheng, Youji, Pokorski, S., Mankuang, & Fan, W.. (2016). Kinnari. In Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts (Vol. 18, pp. 161).
@misc{Hsingyun2016,
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Youji and Pokorski, Stefanie and Mankuang and Fan, Wen,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts },
pages = 161,
title = {{Kinnari}},
volume = 18,
year = {2016}}
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Youji and Pokorski, Stefanie and Mankuang and Fan, Wen,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts },
pages = 161,
title = {{Kinnari}},
volume = 18,
year = {2016}}