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{{About|lions in Burmese culture (not mythical)|mythical or legendary creature with a human head and two lion hindquarters|Manussiha}}File:2016 Rangun, Pomnik Niepodległości (04).jpg|thumb|Lion statues surround the Independence Monument in Maha Bandula Park, in front of Yangon City HallYangon City HallFile:Chinthe.JPG|thumb|Two lions guard the entrance to Shwedagon PagodaShwedagon Pagoda{{Short description|Lion in Burmese culture}}Chinthe{{efn| *MLCTS: {{transl|mymr|MLCTS|hkrangse.}}

• ALA-LC: {{transl|mymr|ALA-LC|khraá¹…se′}}
• BGN/PCGN: {{transl|mymr|BGN/PCGN|chinthe / chinthayt}}}} ( ({{IPA-my|tɕʰɪ̀ɰ̃ðḛ|IPA}}); ({{IPA-mnw|cɛ̀atìʔsaÅ‹|}}); ({{IPA-shn|sàːŋ si|}})) is the Burmese word for 'lion'.BOOK, Myanmar-English Official Dictionary, Department of the Myanmar Language Commission, 1993, Yangon, Burma, 79, BOOK, United States, Congress, Hearings, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1945, Washington, USA, 3, The (wiktionary:leograph|leograph)Archaeological Department of Burma (1902). Report on Archaeological Work in Burma. Yangon, Burma: Superintendent, Government Printing. p. 22.BOOK, Session, I.A.H Congress, Proceedings of the 4th Session of Indian Art History Congress, University of Virginia, 1996, Virginia, USA, 100, of Chinthe is a highly stylized lionBOOK, Arts of Asia: Volume 35, Issues 1-2, AOA Publications, 2005, Virginia, USA, 111, BOOK, Ralph Isaacs, T.Tichard Blurton, Visions from the Golden Land: Burma and the Art of Lacquer, British Museum, 2000, 9780714114736, Landon, England, 169, commonly depicted in Burmese iconography and architecture, especially as a pair of guardians flanking the entrances of Buddhist pagodas and kyaung (or Buddhist monasteries).

Natural lion

(File:Gir lion.jpg|left|200px|thumb|The lion is known as Chinthe in Burmese) Contrary to popular belief, the Chinthe is not a mythical creatureBOOK, Sergei Sergeevich Ozhegov, Irene Moilanen, Mirrorred in Wood: Burmese Art and Architecture, White Lotus Press, 1999, 9789747534009, 67, but instead an entirely natural lion,BOOK, Bunyard, Britt A., Walking to Singapore: A Year off the Beathen Path in Southeast Asia, Writers Club Press of iUniverse, 2000, 9781469772981, U.S.A, 401, although often associated with myths and legends.The Burmese leographBOOK, Southeast Asia Handbook, Moon Publications, 1994, 9781566910026, Michigan, USA, 91, is related to other stylized lions in the Asian region, including the sing (สิงห์) of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and the simha (සිංහ) of Sri Lanka, where it is featured prominently on the Sri Lankan rupee. It is also related to East Asian leographs, such as the guardian lions of China, komainu of Japan, shisa of Okinawa and Snow Lion of Tibet.

Origins

The story of why the lions guard the entrances of pagodas and temples is given in the Mahavamsa:The princess Suppadevi of Vanga Kingdom (present day Bengal) had a son named Sinhabahu through her marriage to a lion, but later abandoned the lion who then became enraged and set out on a road of terror throughout the lands. The son then went out to slay this terrorizing lion. The son came back home to his mother stating he slew the lion, and then found out that he killed his own father. The son later constructed a statue of the lion as a guardian of a temple to atone for his sin.WEB, myanmar-image.com, Image 5 of 20,weblink 2010-09-17,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170411034220weblink">weblink 2017-04-11, dead, {{multiple image }}

In Burmese culture

The leograph of Chinthe appears as an element of Burmese iconography on many revered objects, including the palin (Burmese royal throne) and Burmese bells.Predating the use of coins for money, brass weights cast in the shape of iconic animals like the Chinthe were commonly used to measure standard quantities of staple items.Shwechinthe Birmans{{dead link|date=August 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}In the Burmese zodiac, the lion sign is representative of Tuesday-born individuals.BOOK, Sir., James George Scott, The Burman: His Life and Notions, Volume 2, Macmillan and Company, 1882, London, England, 94, The leograph is featured prominently on the successive post-independence State seals (including the current State Seal of Myanmar) and most paper denominations of the Burmese kyat, and its statues are found as guardian statues of most pagodas and temples.

Gallery

File:Bagan-Ananda-220-Chinthes-gje.jpg|Leographic statuesBOOK, The Atlas of Dream Places: A Grand Tour of the World's Best-loved Destinations, Konecky & Konecky, 2002, 9781568523576, 214, line the rooftop at Bagan's Ananda TempleFile:Bagan 2019 10.jpg|Close-up of the stylized lion head,BOOK, Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra, Ancient India, Motilal Banarsidass (MLBD), 1960, Delhi, India, 497, Ananda TempleFile:Bagan Bronze Bell (7566104478).jpg|Temple bell in Bagan, MyanmarFile:Bagan-Dhammayazika-20-Loewe-Ministupa-gje.jpg|Lion statue on Dhammayazika Pagoda, Bagan, MyanmarFile:Chinthes guarding Mandalay Hill.JPG|A pair of whitewashed lionsBOOK, Dr., Tin Mg Oo, Aspects of Myanmar Culture, Cho-Tay-Than Bookhouse, 2005, Yangon, Burma, 28, guard the entrance to Mandalay HillFile:So Hla Waing 2.jpg| Chinthe of So Hla Waing in Bagan, MyanmarFile:Suspension of the Mingun Bell.jpg|Chinthe atop the Mingun Bell

Relation to Second World War Chindits

During the Second World War, the British Brigadier Orde Wingate was given command of forces charged with long-range penetration operations behind Japanese lines in Burma. At the suggestion of Captain Aung Thin of the Burma Rifles, Wingate decided to call this force "The Chinthes" (The Lions),Duckworth, L.B (1945). Your Men in Battle: The Story of the South Staffordshire Regiment- 1939–45. Michigan, USA: Express and Star. p. 17. a name which became corrupted to "The Chindits" and was so recorded in the annals of World War II.Chinthe is also the nickname of the Canadian 435 Squadron, formed originally in 1944 in India.WEB, National Defence, Royal Canadian Air Force, 2013-04-30, 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron - Royal Canadian Air Force,weblink 2023-06-06, www.canada.ca, The badge of the RCAF 435th features a chinthe on a plinth.

See also

{{commons category|Chinthe}}

• Asiatic lion
• Chinese guardian lions
• Shisa
• Shishi
• Singh
• Lion dance

Notes

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References

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