Chinthe

The Chinthe (Burmese: ခြင်္သေ့; MLCTS: hkrang se., IPA: [tɕʰɪ̀ɴðḛ]; Mon: ဇါဒိသိုၚ်, [cɛ̀atìʔsaŋ]; Shan: သၢင်ႇသီႈ, [sàːŋ si]) is a leogryph (lion-like creature) that is often seen at the entrances of pagodas and temples in Burma, Cambodia, Laos and is related to the Singha (สิงห์) in Thailand and the Simha (සිංහ) in Sri Lanka as well as to other similar lion statues in other parts of Asia. The chinthe and the simha are featured prominently on the Burmese kyat and the Sri Lankan rupee respectively. The chinthe is almost always depicted in pairs, and serve to protect the pagoda. They typically appear as animals, but are sometimes found with human faces.

Like the komainu of Japan, shisa of Okinawa and Snow Lion of Tibet, the chinthe is a variation of the guardian lions found in China.

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