Yakshini

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Yakshinis or Yakshis (Sanskrit: यक्षिणी, IAST: Yakṣiṇī or Yakṣī, IPA: [jɐkʂiɳiː, jɐkʂiː]; Prakrit: Yakkhiṇī or Yakkhī, IPA: [jɐkːʰiɳiː, jɐkːʰiː]) are a class of female nature spirits in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religious mythologies. Yakshinis and their male counterparts, the Yakshas, are among the many divine or semi-divine beings traditionally associated with the sacred groves of India. Yakshis appear in the traditional legends of Northeastern Indian tribes, ancient legends of Kerala, and in the folktales of Kashmiris. Sikhism also mentions yakshas in its sacred texts. Yakshinis are different from Devas, Asuras, Gandharvas and Apsaras. Well-behaved and benign yakshinis are worshipped as tutelaries, as they are attendees of Kubera, the treasurer of the gods, and the Hindu god of wealth who rules the kingdom of Alaka. There are also malign and mischievous yakshinis with poltergeist-like behaviours that can haunt and curse humans, according to Indian folklore. The ashoka tree is closely associated with yakshinis. One of the recurring elements in Indian art, often found as gatekeepers in ancient Buddhist and Hindu temples, is a yakshini with her foot on the trunk and her hands holding the branch of a stylized flowering ashoka or, less frequently, tree with flowers or fruits.