Kinnara

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Statue of a kinnara in Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok (Thailand).

For the social group or caste amongst the Sinhalese Buddhists of Sri Lanka, see Kinnaraya

In Buddhist mythology and Hindu mythology, a kinnara are paradigmatic lovers, a celestial musician, half-human and half-bird. Their character is clarified in the Adi parva of the Mahabharata, where they say:

We are everlasting lover and beloved. We never separate. We are eternally husband and wife; never do we become mother and father. No offspring is seen in our lap. We are lover and beloved ever-embracing. In between us we do not permit any third creature demanding affection. Our life is a life of perpetual pleasure.^[1]

They are also featured in a number of Buddhist texts, including the Lotus Sutra. An ancient Indian string instrument is known as the Kinnari Veena.

In Southeast Asian mythology, Kinnaris, the female counterpart of Kinnaras, are depicted as half-bird, half-woman creatures. 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. She is renowned for her dance, song and poetry, and is a traditional symbol of feminine beauty, grace and accomplishment.

[edit] Thailand

Gilded statues of mythological beings of the Himpahan Forest at the Wat Phra Kaew. In the foreground an Apsornsi, half woman, half lion. In the background a kinnara, half man, half bird.

The Kinnari (Thai: กินรี) in Thai literature originates from India, but was modified to fit in with the Thai way of thinking. The Thai Kinnari is depicted as a young woman wearing an angel-like costume. The lower part of the body is similar to a bird, and should enable her to fly between the human and the mystical worlds.

The most famous Kinnari in Thailand is the figure known as Manora (derived from Manohara) in a Thai tome entitled Panyasa Chadok. Part of this literature is a dance called Manorah Buchayan, which is one of the most esoteric among the high classical dances of Thailand.

Thai Airways International publishes a monthly magazine with the title Kinnaree.

[edit] Burma

In Burma (Burmese: ကိန္နရီ; IPA: [kèinnəyì]), Burmese Buddhists believe that out of the 136 past animal lives of Buddha, four were Kinnara. The Kinnari is also one of the 108 symbols on the footprint of Buddha. In addition, Burmese Kinnari are depicted with covered breasts.

[edit] Cambodia

In Cambodia, the Kinnari and Kinnara are known as Kennorey and Kennar. The Kennorey is depicted in arts and literature more often than its male counterpart, the Kennar. The function of Kennorey is mostly the same as that of its Thai counterpart; it is used in temple decorations and is a symbol for beauty and grace; but although very similar, the Kennorey has been used in arts since the Angkor period, and has less of a symbolic meaning than the Apsara.

[edit] Indonesia

Kinnara (male), Kinnari (female), Apsara, and Devata guarding Kalpataru, the divine tree of life. 8th century Pawon temple, Java, Indonesia.

The images of coupled Kinnara and Kinnari can be found in Borobudur, Mendut, Pawon, Sewu, Sari, and Prambanan temples. Usually, they are depicted as birds with human heads, or humans with lower limbs of birds. The pair of Kinnara and Kinnari usually is depicted guarding Kalpataru, the tree of life, and sometimes guarding a jar of treasure. A pair of Kinnara-Kinnari bas-reliefs of Sari temple is unique, depicting Kinnara as celestial humans with birds' wings attached to their backs, very similar to popular image of angels.

There are bas-relief in Borobudur depicting the story of the famous kinnari, Manohara.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Kinnara Kingdom