Yakshi

demonic intermediate Buddhist single tradition · 8

A vampire.

↻ synthesized from 8 sources

When

First attested
300 BCE
Attested period
-300 – 2020
Historical notes
Associated with early Buddhist monuments and later became a standard decorative element in Indian sculpture and temple architecture.

Relationships

consort of
Yaksha
manifested by
Riddhi, Bhadra

Expand to full subgraph →

Sources

Source passages

“Yakshi (Keralite) – Vampire”

#5519 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“In the state, Gandharvas are enshrined in temples, sometimes along with Yakshi and prayed to for fertility and good fortune.”

#7172 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“The Yakshi theme is the subject of popular Keralite tales, like the legend of the Yakshi of Thiruvananthapuram, as well as of certain movies in modern Malayalam cinema.”

#8813 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“Known as "kavu" or "sarpa kavukal," these shrines consist of a small grove with symbolic houses and carved stone effigies of guardian nagas, and other "gods, spirits, yakshi, [or] ancestors."”

#10478 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“Female yakshi or yakshini, and male yaksha, are very minor figures, on the borders of deity. Yakshi are often local spirits of water and trees. They are figures from Indian folk religion who were accepted into the pantheons of Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism.”

#36245 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001