Dog-headed Yali

Kulikka Mandapa, Minakshi Temple

The body of this yali is leonine; the head is canine. His mouth grips what appears to be a branch of foliage (echoed in the carving on the side panel), which entwines with the trunk of the elephant below. Compare the elephant-headed yali on the previous page. The constant elements of this series are the small elephant at bottom, the lion-bodied yali on top, and the "intertwining trunks" gesture between the two. The design at Alagar Kovil is similar.