page_title: Hayagriva (Buddhism)
hierarchical_section_title: Hayagriva (Buddhism)
caption_attribution_description: English: Hayagriva in the 1000-armed Chenrezig shrine, in Samye Ling Tibetam Buddhist centre, Scotland.
context_page_description: In Tibetan and Japanese Buddhism, Hayagrīva is an important deity who originated as a yaksha attendant of Avalokiteśvara or Guanyin Bodhisattva in India. Appearing in the Vedas as two separate deities, he was assimilated into the ritual worship of early Buddhism and eventually was identified as a Wisdom King in Vajrayana Buddhism.
  In Tibet, Hayagriva was promoted especially by Buddhist teacher Atiśa and appeared as a worldly dharmapala. His special ability is to cure diseases, especially skin diseases even as serious as leprosy, which is said to be caused by nāgas.
  In Japanese Mahayana Buddhism, Hayagriva is considered a form of Avalokiteśvara with wrathful form, one of the six Avalokiteśvaras intended to save the sentient beings of the six realms: deities, demons, human beings, animals, hungry ghosts, beings of hell. Hayagriva's sphere is realm of animals. In Folk religion in Japan, Hyagriva was also worshipped as the guardian deity for horses because of its name Horse-head. The horse was symbolized as a vehicle, not as one of Hayagriva's heads.
context_section_description: In Tibetan and Japanese Buddhism, Hayagrīva ("having the neck of a horse") is an important deity who originated as a yaksha attendant of Avalokiteśvara or Guanyin Bodhisattva in India. Appearing in the Vedas as two separate deities, he was assimilated into the ritual worship of early Buddhism and eventually was identified as a Wisdom King in Vajrayana Buddhism.
  In Tibet, Hayagriva was promoted especially by Buddhist teacher Atiśa and appeared as a worldly dharmapala. His special ability is to cure diseases, especially skin diseases even as serious as leprosy, which is said to be caused by nāgas.
  In Japanese Mahayana Buddhism, Hayagriva is considered a form of Avalokiteśvara with wrathful form (Batō Kannon 馬頭觀音, lit.Hayagrīva-Avalokiteśvara) , one of the six Avalokiteśvaras intended to save the sentient beings of the six realms: deities (deva), demons (asura), human beings, animals, hungry ghosts, beings of hell. Hayagriva's sphere is realm of animals (or beings whose state of mind are animal-like). In Folk religion in Japan, Hyagriva was also worshipped as the guardian deity for horses because of its name Horse-head (Batō). The horse was symbolized as a vehicle, not as one of Hayagriva's heads.
  In Chinese Buddhism and folk tradition, Hayagriva was sometimes assimilated into Horse-Face, one of two theriomorphic guardians of Diyu, the underworld. Some Chinese horse owners also worship Hayagriva in a non underworld form to protect their horses.
caption: Hayagriva statue in Samye Ling. Note the green horse's head on top of his head.
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