karyoubinga　迦陵頻伽

KEY WORD :　art history / iconography

Sk. kalavinka. Originally a sparrow-like bird that lived in the snowy mountains of the Himalaya range, reputed to possess a melodious voice. Later sutras state that it lived in the paradise gokuraku 極楽 of *Amida 阿弥陀 Buddha. In pictorial representations, the karyoubinga has the head of a bodhisattva *bosatsu 菩薩 and the winged body of a bird. Its tail resembles the tail of a phoenix *houou 鳳凰. Typically it holds a musical instrument. In Japanese art, the karyoubinga is found in a variety of forms: cast in low-relief on pendant discs, keman 華鬘 used for architectural decoration, printed on priest's robes; painted on ceiling and wall panels, or on paintings of Pure Land paradise *joudo hensou 浄土変相. It is sometimes associated with Garuda, the Hindu bird deity and vehicle of Siva which was adopted into Buddhist lore.

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