Indian
culture what the griffin is to Greco-Roman culture. It refers to a creature
that has the features of the most powerful members of the faunal kingdom, and
is yet more powerful than all of them put together. The Yalis in this
one-of-a-kind wood sculpture have the mane of a lion, the teeth of a crocodile,
and the musculature of a horse. An age-old symbol in the visual arts of the
South, the Yali composition gained prominence during the sixteenth century. It
could be found to grace temple doors and pillars across ancient temples in
South India.
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| Handmade Traditional Yali Temple Pillars |
This the mythical creature is considered the guardian-protector of the temple where it
is installed, usually in pairs.
The
Yali sculpture that you see on this page is a pair of handcrafted brackets,
chosen for its one-of-a-kind composition. The Yalis are adorned with green and
orange fabric, their long tails wound around a matching floral motif. A couple
of kneeling elephants raise their trunks at the feet of the respective Yalis.
Their dense black mane contrasts sharply with the white of their spine-chilling
dentures.
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