Hārītī (Sanskrit), also known as Chinese: 鬼子母(神); pinyin: Guǐzǐmǔ(shén), Japanese: 鬼子母神, romanized: Kishimojin, is both a revered goddess and demon, depending on the Buddhist tradition. She is one of the Twenty-Four Protective Deities of Mahayana Buddhism.
Statue of Guǐzǐmǔ with a child rakshasa in Shanhua Temple (善化寺 Shànhùasì) in Datong, Shanxi Province, China
Kishimojin as a demon mistress with infant. 12th–13th century, Kamakura period. Daigo-ji, Kyoto, Japan.
Azes coin in India, with Demeter/ Hariti with children and holding a cornucopia (Obv.) and Hermes (Rev.), 1st century BCE
Hariti with children (front). 1st century BCE, Gandhara.
Twenty-Four Protective Deities
The Twenty-Four Protective Deities or the Twenty-Four Devas, sometimes reduced to the Twenty Protective Deities or the Twenty Devas, are a group of dharmapalas in Chinese Buddhism who are venerated as defenders of the Buddhist dharma. The group consists of devas, naga kings, vajra-holders and other beings, mostly borrowed from Hinduism with some borrowed from Taoism.
Statue of Dàzìzàitiān (Shiva) on Putuoshan Guanyin Dharma Realm in Zhejiang, China
Statue of Jíxiáng Tiānnǚ (Lakshmi) in Huayan Temple in Datong, Shanxi Province, China
Statues of the Four Heavenly Kings. From left to right: Duōwén Tiānwáng (Vaiśravaṇa), Zēngzhǎng Tiānwáng (Virūḍhaka), Chíguó Tiānwáng (Dhṛtarāṣṭra), and Guăngmù Tiānwáng (Virūpākṣa) in Beihai Park in Beijing, China.
Statue of Mìjī Jīngāng (Guhyapāda), one out of several thousand statues, located at the Maijishan Grottoes, Gansu, China. (World Heritage Site). Carved during the Song dynasty (960–1279).
