Suvannamaccha is a daughter of Tosakanth (Ravana) appearing in the Thai and other Southeast Asian versions of Ramayana.[2] She is a mermaid princess who tries to spoil Hanuman's plans to build a bridge to Lanka but falls in love with him instead.[3]
Macchanu is the son of Hanuman in the Cambodian, Thai and other versions of the Ramayana, and who looked like a vanara from the waist-up but had the tail of a fish.
The Second Incarnation of Vishnu as Kurma 'The Tortoise' The Churning of the Ocean (paint on paper)
In Hinduism,Kurma is the second Avatar of Vishnu, in the form of a turtle.[4][5]
TheWorld Turtle in Hindu belief is known asAkupāra, or sometimes Chukwa, a chiranjeevi.[6]
Bedawang orBedawang Nala is a giant turtle inBalinese mythology who brought the whole world on his back. In the creation mythology of the world, it represents a change fromAntaboga. He along with two dragons support the human world. If he moves, there will be earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on earth.
Makara is a water monster (often depicted as acrocodile) that appears as thevahana (mount) of several water deities, among them the river goddessesGanga andNarmada, andVaruna when shown assea god.
Gogaji also known as Jahar Veer Gogga is a folk deity, worshiped in the northern states of India. He is a warrior-hero of the region, venerated as a saint and a 'snake-god'. He is worshiped as a veer amongst Hindus.
Ketu is an Asura who has the lower parts of a snake and said to have four arms.
Nagnechiya Maa (Nagnechi Ma, Nagnechia Ma), a snake goddess, is the kuldevi of Rathore, a Suryavanshi Rajput clan of India, as well as Brahmbhatts (who are also Vaitalik Kaumudik Bramhins),
Patanjali is a snake footed rishi considered to be an incarnation ofShesha
Rahu is the severed head of an asura called Svarbhānu, that swallows the sun causing eclipses. He is depicted in art as a serpent with no body riding a chariot drawn by eight black horses.
Vritra orAhi is a serpent or dragon, the personification of drought and adversary of Indra.
Manasā, also Mansa Devi, is a Hindu folk goddess of snakes, sister of Vasuki and wife of sage Jagatkāru (Jaratkāru).
Paravataksha, his sword causes earthquakes and his roar caused thunder.
Surasa is a Hindu goddess, who is described as the mother of the uragas (serpents).[7]
Susna is a horned serpent-demon who aids the Asuras in their war against the Deva. The serpent also guards the essence ofAmrita in its stomach. Susna is also associated with drought.
Shesha is the nagaraja or king of all nāgas. The snake on whomVishnu is inyoga nidra (Ananta shayana).[8]
Byangoma (feminineByangomi) are legendary birds ofBengali mythology, appearing most notably in the fairytales ofThakurmar Jhuli, where they are portrayed as wise, fortune-telling birds that help the deserving.
Gandabherunda (also known as the Bherunda) is a two-headed mythological bird of Hindu beliefs thought to possess magical strength.
Homa Pakshi (a Vedic bird). It lays eggs while flying in the sky and then the egg will fall. As it is falling, a bird will hatch from the egg. The hatchling then learns how to fly without touching the earth.
The death of Bakasura the crane (6124594523)
TheKarura is a divine creature with human torso and birdlike head in Japanese Hindu-Buddhist faith.
Thehamsa (Sanskrit: हंस, haṃsa or hansa) is an aquatic bird of passage, such as a goose or a swan. Its icon is used in Indian and Southeast Asian culture as a spiritual symbol and a decorative element. Hamsa is a part of the mythical love story of Nala and Damayanti. The hamsa is the vahana ofBrahma &Saraswathi.
Arayanna, or heavenly hamsa (swans), are said to live in Manasasaras in the Himalayas.
Chanda, a crow, is the father of Bhusunda and his twenty brothers (Bhusunda and his brothers were born from the union of Chanda and the seven swans of the GoddessBrahmi).
Bhusunda or Kakabhushundi is a very old sage, in the form of a crow. In the Story of Bhusunda, a chapter of theYoga Vasistha, Bhusunda recalls a succession of epochs in the earth's history, as described in Hindu cosmology. He survived several destructions, living on a wish-fulfilling tree on Mount Meru.
Shyena (Sanskrit: श्येन ) is the divine hawk identified withAgni, who ascends to heaven for bringingsoma (nectar) to earth with the intention of rejuvenating and revitalizing of all things that exist on earth.
TheGaruda is a large bird-like creature, or humanoid bird. Garuda is the mount (vahana) of the Lord Vishnu. According to the Mahabharata, Garuda had six sons from whom were descended the race of birds.
Erawan (Thai: เอราวัณ, from Pāḷi Erāvana, or Sanskrit Airāvana) is the Thai version ofAiravata. He is depicted as a huge elephant with either three or sometimes thirty-three heads which are often shown with more than two tusks.
Gajamina Gadjamina, Gaja minah, or Eon is an elephant headed mythical figure with the body of a fish used for patulangan sarcophagi in Bali,
TheGajasimha is a mythical animal with the body of a lion and the head of an elephant. At Angkor, it is portrayed as a guardian of temples and as a mount for some warriors.
Gajasura is an elephant demon killed byShiva, in hisGajasurasamhara form.
Gajendra the elephant, was rescued byVishnu from the clutches of Huhu, the Crocodile in the legend of Gajendra Moksha.
Ganesha also known as Ganapati and Vinayaka, the elephant headed God.
Iravati is a daughter ofKadru andKasyapa. She is the mother ofAiravata, the mount ofIndra. She is also associated with a sacred river.
In a tale about Ganesha's birth, the elephant-headed demonessMalini gives birth toGanesha after drinking the bath-water ofParvati, Ganesha's mother.
In Hindu beliefs there were three elephants by the nameSupratika. The foremost among them is listed as one of theDiggajas, each representing the eight quarters. The Hindu epicMahabharata describes two more elephants by the same name – a mythical elephant that was an incarnation of a sage, and the one that belonged toBhagadatta, the king ofPragjyotisha.
Vinayaki is an elephant-headed Hindu goddess, aMatrika. The goddess is generally associated with the elephant-headed god of wisdom,Ganesha.
TheAmarakosha, a thesaurus of Sanskrit, mentions the names of eight male elephants, and their respective consorts, that bear the world together.
Airavata is a mythological white elephant who carries the Hindu GodIndra. He also represents theEastern direction, the quarter ofIndra.Abhramu is the consort ofAiravata.
Pundarika, carries the Hindu godYama. He represents theSoutheast.Kapila is the consort ofPundarika.
Vamana and his matePingala guard theSouth with an unspecified god.
Kumunda (Southwest) and his mateAnupama, with the godSurya.
Anjana and his mateAñjanā guards theWest with the godVaruna.
Pushpa-danta and his mateSubhadanti guards theNorthwest with the godVayu.
Sarva-bhauma represents theNorth, the quarter ofKubera. His mate isTāmrakarna.
Supratika represents theNorth-east direction, the quarter ofSoma.Anjanavati is believed to be the wife ofSupratika.
Kapi is a form of monkey, especially used to represent Hanuman, as may be seen in the lines of the devotional hymnHanuman Chalisa: "jayakapīsa tihun loka ujāgara" ("Victory to the Lord who is supreme among themonkeys, The light of the three worlds ..."[10]) [Emphasis added.]
Vanaras Building a Bridge to the Mythical Kingdom of Lanka
Kamadhenu also known asSurabhi, is a bovine-goddess described in Hinduism as the mother of all cows. She is a miraculous "cow of plenty" who provides her owner whatever he desires and is often portrayed as the mother of other cattle as well as the elevenRudras. The following are the offspring of Kamadhenu.
Kapila cows (the golden cows), are the children ofKamadhenu, who were also called the mothers of the world (according to theAnushasana Parva, the thirteenth book of the Mahabharata).
The guardian cow goddesses of the heavenly quarters (they are the 4 daughters ofKamadhenu according to theUdyoga Parva, fifth book of the Mahabharata):
Bir Kuar or Birkuar, also known asBirnath, is a Hindu cattle-god worshipped by the herder-class of Ahirs of western Bihar in India. He is considered to be a form of the god, Krishna.
Nandi, orNandikeshvara is the name for the bull which serves as the mount of the god Shiva and as the gatekeeper of Shiva and Parvati.
Aja - A "He-goat" sacred to Pushan. Holds a prominent position in death rites; it shows the path to the dead.
Ajaikapala - A boy, whom was begotten by the grace of Shankara. He had one foot of a man and the other of a goat. He overcame death as a child and is known as 'Mrityunjya'.
Daksha - His head was replaced by a goat's after a beheading.
Naigamesha also known as Harinegameshi, is a goat-headed or deer-headed deity (associated with the war-godKartikeya).
TheAshvins, in Hindu belief, are two Vedic gods, divine twin horsemen in the Rigveda, sons ofSaranyu, a goddess of the clouds and wife ofSurya in his form as Vivasvant. They are represented as humans with the heads of horses.
Badavā - 'A mare, the submarine fire.' In belief, it is a flame with the head of a horse, called alsoHaya-siras.
Dadhi-krā is the name of a divine horse or bird, personification of the morning Sun.
Farasi Bahari - These are magical greenWater Horses that live at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. They are depicted as a horse in its forepart, with a coiling, scaly, fish-like hindquarter.
Hayagriva, also spelt Hayagreeva, is a horse-headed avatar of the Lord Vishnu in Hinduism.
Kinnara In Hindu faith, a kinnara is a paradigmatic lover, a celestial musician, half-human and half-horse.
Tārkṣya is the name of a mythical being in the Rigveda, described as a horse with the epithet áriṣṭa-nemi "with intact wheel-rims".
Tumburu is a horse faced Ghandarva, a celestial musician.
Uchchaihshravas is a seven-headed flying horse, that was obtained during the churning of the milk ocean. Uchchaihshravas is often described as a vahana ("vehicle") of Indra - the god-king of heaven, but is also recorded to be the horse of Bali, the king of demons.
Macedonians are attacked by Odontotyrannos in India
TheKarkadann (from kargadan, Persian: كرگدن "Lord of the Desert") was a mythical creature said to live on the grassy plains of India and Persia. The word kargadan also means rhinoceros in Persian and Arabic.
Odontotyrannos ("tooth-tyrant") is a three horned beast said to have attacked Alexander the Great and his men at their camp in India. It had a black, horse-like head, with three horns protruding from its forehead, and exceeded the size of an elephant.
TheUnicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead. The unicorn was depicted in ancient seals of the Indus Valley Civilization and was mentioned by the ancient Greeks in accounts of natural history by various writers, including Ctesias, Strabo, Pliny the Younger, and Aelian. The Bible also describes an animal, there'em, which some versions translate as unicorn.
Budhi Pallien is a fearsome goddess of forests and jungles, who roams northern India, particularly Assam, in the form of a tiger.
Kimpurusha were described to be lion-headed beings.
Narasiṃha is an avatar of the Hindu godVishnu, and is often visualised as having a human torso and lower body, with a lion face and claws.
Dawon is a sacred tiger (sometimes drawn as a lion), it was offered by gods to serve goddessDurga orParvati as mount for rewarding her victory.
Narasimhi (Sanskrit: नारसिंहीं, Nārasiṃhī), power ofNarasimha (lion-man form of Vishnu), is a woman-lion and throws the stars into disarray by shaking her lion mane.
Manasthala is the lion vahana ofDurga who was known as the asura Simhamukha in his previous life.
Pratyangira or sometimes calledPrathyangira,Narasimhi orNarashimhika, is a Hindu Goddess described with a lioness's face and a human body.
Simhamukha is a lion faced demon, brother ofSurapadman who later was transformed into the vahana of Durga due to his bravery in fighting the god, Muruga.
Vyaghrapada, that is, one having the feet like a tiger, was one of the mythical rishis (sage) of ancient India.
TheRikṣā are described as something like Vanaras but in later versions of Ramayana, Rikṣā are described as bears. Notable Rikṣās are as follows:
Jambavan (or Jamvanta) is a character originating in Indian epic poetry. The King of the Bears, he is an Asiatic or sloth bear in Indian epic tradition.
Jambavati is the daughter of Jambavan, King of the Bears, and the third wife of Krishna.
TheCrocotta (or corocotta, crocuta, or leucrocotta), is a mythical dog-wolf of India or Ethiopia, linked to the hyena and said to be a deadly enemy of men and dogs.
Ichchhadhari Nag or Naagin is a mythical shape-shifting cobra in Indian folklore.
Ailuranthropes (werecats), theweretiger - In India, the weretiger is often a dangerous sorcerer, portrayed as a menace to livestock, who might at any time turn to man-eating. These tales travelled through the rest of India and into Persia through travellers who encountered the royal Bengal tigers of India and then further west.
Hemaraj - The hemaraj is a creature found in Thai and possibly South Asian(Indian) faith. It is said to be the combination of a hem (an ill-defined creature in and of itself; usually likened to a swan but sometimes depicted more like a crocodilian) and alion.
Makara is a sea-creature in Hindu faith. Makara is the vahana (vehicle) of Ganga - the goddess of the river Ganges and the sea god Varuna.[11][12] It is also the insignia of the love god Kamadeva.
Navagunjara is a creature composed of nine different animals. The beast is considered a form of the Hindu god Vishnu, or of Krishna, who is considered an Avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu.
Panchamukhi Hanuman Hanuman assumed the Panchamukhi or five-faced form to kill Ahiravana. He assumes avanara's head, alion's head, aneagle's head, aboar's head and ahorse's head.
Reachisey is a mythical animal, with the head of a lion, a shortelephantine trunk, and the scaly body of adragon. It occurs at Angkor Wat in the epic bas reliefs of the outer gallery.
Rompo is a mythological beast with the head of ahare, the ears of ahuman, a mane, a slender body, the front arms of abadger, and the rear legs of abear. It feeds only on human corpses and it is said to croon softly as it eats.
Vaikuntha Chaturmurti or Vaikuntha Vishnu is a four-headed aspect of the Hindu god Vishnu, mostly found in Kashmir (northern part of the Indian subcontinent). He has ahuman head, alion head, aboar head and a fierce head
Yali also known as Vyala or Vidala in Sanskrit) is a mythical creature seen in many Hindu temples, often sculpted onto the pillars. It may be portrayed as part-lion, part-elephant and part-horse, and in similar shapes
Sharabha is a part-lion and part-bird beast inHindu mythology, who, according toSanskrit literature, is eight-legged and more powerful than a lion or an elephant, possessing the ability to clear a valley in one jump.
TheAngiris (orAngiras) are a group of celestial beings who are descendants of the Fire GodAgni and the GoddessAgnayi, and responsible for watching over humans performingYagna (sacrifices) and protecting the sacrificial fires
AnApsara (also spelled asApsarasa) is a female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hindu andBuddhist mythology. They are often wives of the Gandharvas. Notable apsarases:
TheAsuras are mythological lord beings in Indian texts who compete for power with the more benevolent devas.
Daityas - In Hinduism, they are a clan or race of Asura as are the Danavas. Daityas were the children of Diti and the sage Kashyapa. The following are notable Daityas.
A benevolent Brahmadaitya saving a poor Brahmin man from a group of Bhoot' (ghosts)
Acheri is the ghost or spirit of a little girl who was either murdered or abused and left to die.
Aleya (or marsh ghost-light) is the name given to an unexplained strange light phenomena occurring over the marshes as observed in Bengal.
Chir Batti, Chhir Batti or Cheer batti is a ghost light reported in the Banni grasslands, a seasonal marshy wetlands and adjoining desert of the marshy salt flats of the Rann of Kutch.
Thedakini appeared in medieval legends in India (such as in the Bhagavata Purana, Brahma Purana, Markandeya Purana and Kathasaritsagara) as a demoness in the train ofKali who feeds on human flesh. The masculine form is known asDaka.
The wife of one of the vasus is tempted to steal the wish-bearing cow
TheGanas orGana-Devatas are the troops of deities, attendants ofShiva and live onGana-parvata i.e.,Kailasa.Ganesha was chosen as their leader by Shiva, hence Ganesha's title gaṇeśa or gaṇapati,"lord or leader of the ganas". The nine classes of Ganas are:
Kabandha tells Rama and Laksmana how he came to have his hideous form
TheGandharvas are male nature spirits, husbands of the Apsaras. Some are part animal, usually a bird or horse.
Chitrasena, a character in the Indian epic Mahabharata, was a Gandharva king who taught song and dance to Arjuna.
Kabandha was a gandharva named Vishvavasu or Danu, who was cursed and made into an ugly, carnivorous demon by Indra, and was killed and liberated by Rama.
Guhyaka(s) (गुह्यक, literally "hidden ones") is a class of supernatural beings in Hindu faith. Like Yakshas (nature-spirits), they are often described as attendants of Kubera.
Kindeva are a race of human-like beings mentioned in the Hindu Puranas. They are said to have a human-like appearance, but also deva-like qualities, hence the term kindeva.
InHindu mythology andBuddhist mythology, akinnara is a paradigmatic lover, a celestial musician, half-human, half-horse/half-bird. TheKinnaris are the female counterpart of Kinnaras.
Preta is the Sanskrit name for a type of supernatural being described in some Indian religions as undergoing suffering greater than that of humans, particularly an extreme level of hunger and thirst.
Therakshasas are demonic beings from Hindu faith. Rakshasas are also called maneaters (Nri-chakshas, Kravyads). A female rakshasa is known as aRakshasi.
Chedipe is a witch-vampire in the folklore of the region around the Godavari River in India. They are associated with the devadasis, girls who were dedicated to a Hindu temple god and were often treated as temple prostitutes.
Churel is a female ghost of South Asian folklore. The word "churel" is also used colloquially for a witch. Women who die in childbirth or pregnancy due to the negligence of her in-laws or relatives are often described turning into churels, who return to seek their vendetta and suck the blood of their male relatives.
Pichal Peri (Persian: پیچھل پری) or churail (Urdu: چڑیل) (meaning back footed in Urdu language) is an unexplained entity that is a popular topic for ghost stories in Central and South Asia.
Vidyadhara are a group of supernatural beings in Indian religions who possess magical powers. They are considered as Upadevas, semi- gods, and essentially spirits of the air. A female Vidyadhara is known as aVidyadhari.
Yaksha is the name of a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, who are caretakers of the natural treasures hidden in the earth and tree roots. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist texts. The feminine form of the word isyakṣī.
Yakshini (Yakshi) is the female counterpart of the maleYaksha, and they are attendees ofKubera. Although Yakshinis are usually benevolent, there are also yakshinis with malevolent characteristics in Indian folklore.
Kalliyankattu Neeli, a powerful demoness who was finally destroyed by Suryakaladi nambudiri.
Kanjirottu Yakshi (Chiruthevi) is a folkloric vampire. She was born into an affluent Padamangalam Nair tharavad by name Mangalathu at Kanjiracode in Southern Travancore (now in Tamil Nadu). She was a ravishingly beautiful courtesan who had an intimate relationship with Raman Thampi, son of King Rama Varma.
Tatakā or Taraka (ताड़का) was a Yaksha princess-turned-demoness in the epicRamayana.
In Sanskrit literature, theyoginis have been represented as the attendants or various manifestations ofDurga engaged in fighting with the demonsShumbha andNishumbha, and the principal yoginis are identified with theMatrikas. There are sixty-four or eighty-oneYoginis (Tantric goddesses).
Chiranjivi are seven immortal living beings in Hinduism who are to remain alive on Earth until the end of the currentKali Yuga.
Dvarapala is a door or gate guardian often portrayed as a warrior or fearsome giant, usually armed with a weapon - the most common being the gadha mace.
Nairrata are demon soldiers ofKubera's army, described to have defeated king Mucukunda.
Vālakhilyas were great sages, 60,000 in number, born of the parentsKratu andKriyādevī. They were of the size of a thumb.
TheAstomi are an ancient legendary race of people who had no need to eat or drink anything at all. They survived by smelling apples and flowers. Megasthenes and Pliny the Elder (quoting Megasthenes) mentioned these people in his Indica. Megasthenes located them at the mouth of the river Ganges.
TheCalingae or Calingi, according to ancient accounts, were a race of extremely short-lived people in India. According to Pliny the Elder they had a lifespan of only eight years.
TheDeva are a mythical people of Sri Lanka according to the Sanskrit epics. According to the Mahavamsa and Ramayana they lived among the Naga, Yakkha and Raskha. They ousted their arch enemies the Raskha from Sri Lanka, with the help of Lord Vishnu. They were then subsequently conquered by King Ravana of the Raskha.
Eka-pāda 'One-footed' A fabulous race of men spoken of in the puranas.
TheMacrocephali in Medieval bestiaries were a race of humanoids with large heads. Some sources indicate that they may have come from India.
Mandi, The Mandi, according to Pliny the Elder, are a short-lived people from India.
Monopods are mythological human creatures with a single, large foot extending from a leg centered in the middle of their bodies. They are described by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History, where he reports travelers' stories from encounters or sightings of Monopods in India. Pliny remarks that they are first mentioned by Ctesias in his book Indika (India).
Ihamrga is the representation of fabulous creatures in Hindu faith.
Kala is a ferocious monster symbolic of time in its all-devouring aspect and associated with the destructive side of the god Shiva.
Kirtimukha is the name of a swallowing fierce monster face with huge fangs, and gaping mouth, quite common in the iconography of Indian and Southeast Asian temple architecture.
^Gopal, Madan (1990). Gautam, K.S. (ed.).India through the Ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Government of India. p. 74.
.jpg)
.jpg)
_-_Durga_in_Combat_with_the_Bull%2c_Mahishasura_-_69.428_-_Detroit_Institute_of_Arts.jpg)
.jpg)
_(4337938986).jpg)
