yali
9.9
A stone creature with a lion face that guards South Indian temples
- noun
- /ˈjɑːli/
- Literature
:
yali
- The ancient temple was guarded by a stone yali at each entrance.
Examples
-
Artists spent years carving the fierce face of the yali into the temple pillars.
-
Many yalis guard the sacred sites in South India.
-
Visitors admired the detailed sculptures of the yali along the temple walls.
-
The temple features a magnificent yali at its entrance.
-
The ancient temple was guarded by a stone yali at each entrance.
-
Artists spent years carving the fierce face of the yali into the temple pillars.
-
The temple features a magnificent yali at its entrance.
Surface Forms
Etymology
Yali in South India comes from a Tamil word yāli meaning 'beast', and the creature is often shown as a fierce, lion-like guardian on temple pillars, which is why yali means a temple guardian figure.
