Pañcika () is a

yaksha The yakshas ( sa, यक्ष ; pi, yakkha, i=yes) are a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in ...

and consort of Hārītī, with whom he is said to have fathered 500 children. According to the '' Mahavamsa'', Pañcika was the commander-in-chief of the yakṣa army of

Vaiśravaṇa (Sanskrit: वैश्रवण) or (Pali; , , ja, 毘沙門天, Bishamonten, ko, 비사문천, Bisamuncheon, vi, Đa Văn Thiên Vương), is one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and is considered an important figure in Buddhism. Names The n ...

and had another 27 yakṣa generals under his orders. Pañcika was often represented holding a lance and a bag of jewels or money together with Hariti in the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, where they illustrated marital love following the intervention of the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

. The two figures "were very popular in Gandhara in the latter part of the second century, and their statues are many." When depicted holding a spear, he also signals his role as the chief of the Yakṣas. The iconography of Pancika was eventually merged with that of Vaiśravaṇa..

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pancika Yakshas Buddhist gods Twenty-Four Protective Deities

See also

References