Yali_(mythology)
Yali (mythology)
Hindu mythological creature
Yali (IAST: Yāḷi),[1] 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]