yaksha
- Also spelled:
- yaksa
- Sanskrit masculine singular:
- yakṣa
- Sanskrit feminine singular:
- yakṣī or yakṣinī
- Related Topics:
- Hinduism
- spirit
- nature spirit
yaksha, in the mythology of India, a class of generally benevolent but sometimes mischievous, capricious, sexually rapacious, or even murderous nature spirits who are the custodians of treasures that are hidden in the earth and in the roots of trees. They are powerful magicians and shape-shifters. Principal among the yakshas is Kubera, who rules in the mythical Himalayan kingdom called Alaka.
Yakshas were often given homage as tutelary deities of a city, district, lake, or well. Their worship, together with popular belief in nagas (serpent deities), feminine fertility deities, and mother goddesses, may have had its origin among the early indigenous peoples of India. Yaksha worship coexisted with the priest-conducted sacrifices of the Vedic period.
In art, sculptures of yakshas were among the earliest of deities to be depicted, apparently preceding images of the bodhisattvas and of Brahmanical deities, whose representation they influenced. They also were the prototypes for the attendants of gods and kings in later Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain art.