Kalaviṅka

Karyōbinga in a depiction of the Amitabha Sutra

Kalaviṅka (Sanskrit: कलविङ्क kalaviṅka; Chinese: 迦陵頻迦 Jiālíngpínjiā; Japanese Karyōbinga (迦陵頻迦),[1] Burmese ကရဝိက်; Thai การเวก) is a fantastical immortal creature in Buddhism, with a human head and a bird's torso, with long flowing tail.[2]

The kalaviṅka is said to dwell in Buddhist paradise (gokuraku-jōdo, nirvana),[2] and reputed to preach the Buddhist scripture[2] with its fine voice.[2] It is said to sing while still unhatched within its eggshell. Its voice is a descriptor of the Buddha's voice. In Japanese text, it is sometimes written not phonetically, but under translated names myōonchō (妙音鳥 "exquisite sounding bird"),[3] kōonchō (好音鳥 "goodly sounding bird")[3] among other rendered names.

Edward H. Schafer notes that in East Asian religious art the Kalaviṅka is often confused with the Kinnara, which is also a half-human half-bird hybrid mythical creature, but that the two are actually distinct and unrelated.[4]

Depictions

In Chinese art

In Chinese mural art, it is portrayed as a human-headed, bird-bodied being (i.e. armless?), but in Japanese Buddhist art, it has been portrayed with an upper torso of a winged boddhisatva (i.e., having hands and arms), with a birdlike lower extremity. In the murals of Dunhuang (敦煌) they appear as figures both dancing and playing music.

In Japanese art

Karyōbinga, panels on octagonal platform. Chūson-ji

A well-known example is the pair of kalaviṅka carved in openwork (sukashibori) onto a Buddhist hanging ornament called the keman, used in the golden hall of Chūson-ji temple in Iwate Prefecture. The kalaviṅka from this ornament was commemorated on a 120-yen definitive stamp issued Nov. 1, 1962.[5] The pose and general appearance on this piece is similar to the ones seen on the octagonal pedestal of the same temple (pictured right).

In Tangut art

The Kalaviṅka is a common feature of Tangut art created during the Western Xia period (1038–1227).

See also

Popular culture

(manga)
(Novels)
(Music)

References

  1. Hepburn, James Curtis (1903). A Japanese-English and English-Japanese dictionary (google). p. 270.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Shinchosha (1985). 新潮世界美術事典 (Shincho Encyclopedia of World Art). Shinchosha. ISBN 4-10-730206-7.
  3. 1 2 Kojien dictionary, 2nd rev. ed., 1976,
  4. Schafer, Edward H. (1963). The Golden Peaches of Samarkand: A Study of Tʻang Exotics. University of California Press. p. 103.
  5. The American Philatelist, volume 76, number ?, 1962, p.70: "A 120-yen stamp in one-color photogravure will be released Nov. 1. 1962, depicting Keman-no-karyōbinga
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, January 18, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.