Yali – Divine Protector And Guardian Of Temples Warding Off Evil Forces In Hindu Mythology
A prominent figure of Hindu mythology and a personification of natural forces that can be seen in many South Indian medieval temples is a powerful and strong Yali.
At Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu state, there are as many as one thousand pillars richly covered with carvings of Yali.
Descriptions of Yali are very old, and so are references to this mythical creature, often sculpted onto the pillars in temples.
As a personification of natural forces, Yali became prominent particularly in South Indian sculpture in the 16th century. He was considered to be more powerful than the lion, the tiger, or the elephant. The creature was believed to have organs of horse, lion, and elephant, all together in one.
The Yali - a powerful symbol of protection – can be found in the Tiger Cave, one of the Mahabalipuram rock-cut temples constructed during the reign of King Narasimhavarman I, a great warrior and a devotee of Shiva.
Follow the directions below to find the Tiger Cave
ངོ ༤༧༠ བེེཏ ནོརཏམ འཏ ༣༤༦ དེངརེེས