A animal which even terrified the dinosaurs and elephants.

Yali is a mythical animal which has the body of a lion but with a trunk of an elephant. In this form Yali is the vehicle or Vahana of Navagraha Budh or Mercury. As per Vaishnava tradition, Yali is a combination of elephant, lion and snake. It has the head and body of lion but with an elephant trunk and has the tail of a serpent.
It must be noted that modern paintings show Budha riding on a lion. The trunk part is avoided.
Yali sculptures are widely used on the walls and pillars of South Indian temples.

Yali sculptures are widely used on the walls and pillars of South Indian temples.
When Yali is a combination of elephant, lion and snake it is mainly noted for its ferociousness and strength. Yali thus has the strength of an elephant, ferociousness and speed of a lion and the fear factor associated with a snake.
This type of Yali is sculpted at the entrance of temples and homes to keep away evil.
One of the popular story of Narasimha states that Yali was subdued by Narasimha Avatar of Vishnu. Therefore the utsava murti of Narasimha in some temples ride on Yali Vahanam during Brahmotsavam festival in some Vishnu temples.

1. Yali, the Guard:
   Yali is a mythical creature seen in many Hindu temples, often sculpted onto the pillars. Yali is a motif in Indian art and it has been widely used in south Indian sculpture. Yali became prominent in south Indian sculpture in the 16th century. Yalis are believed to be more powerful than the lion or the elephant.

The Yali is the personification of rampant natural forces. The function of these mythical lions is to define open spaces.

1. Iconography and image:

In its iconography and image the yali has a catlike graceful body, but the head of a lion with tusks of an elephant (gaja) and tail of a serpent. Sometimes they have been shown standing on the back of a makara, another mythical creature. Some images look like three-dimensional representation of yalis. Images or icons have been found on the entrance walls of the temples, and the graceful mythical lion is believed to protect and guard the temples and ways leading to the temple. They usually have the stylized body of a lion and the head of some other beast, most often an elephant (gaja-vyala). Other common examples are: the lion-headed (simha-vyala), horse-(ashva-vyala), human-(nir-vyala) and the dog-headed (shvana-vyala) ones.

Yali is found as stone carvings in numerous temples in South India, including the Kailasanathar Temple, Tharamangalam, Salem district, Tamil Nadu

The Yali (also termed 'Vyala' in the north of India) is the personification of rampant natural forces. The function of these mythical lions is to define open spaces. The balustrades were originally positioned at the main entrance of a temple or palace, flanking the central aisle. The Yalis are depicted with their claws planted firmly on earth, with bulging eyes and open mouth, and looking back over their shoulders, pacing towards the building they are protecting.

Both Yalis, one male and one female, are standing with their four paws on the earth, their heads are turned backwards over their shoulders, and they are portrayed with an open mouth, protruding teeth, and tongues sticking out, round bulging eyes and horns and are decorated with a necklace with bells, strings of pearls and ornaments. From their open mouths with redoutable fangs, they spit out the scalloped edge of the balustrade (the banister) to end in a circular spiral form. Both tails are bent in the direction of their heads, just above their bodies. A lotus is depicted between the banister and the spiral, symbolising spiritual elevation. The shape of the staircase is divided into four levels and is still visible at the reverse of the stones.

Yalis are the most conspicuous composite animals on the piers of temples in Sri Lanka and South India, dating to the fifteenth and sixteenth century. The present stones show stylistic influence from the vijayanagar kingdoms in Tamil Nadu. In the wake of the long lasting Chola occupation and presence of numerous South Indian residents, it is natural that stone sculptures of the Divided Kingdom period reflect a prominent South Indian influence. During this period of political instability (circa 1232 - 1597 A.D.) the island was divided among different rulers and chieftaincies. Tamil yalis are less abstract in form, are more dimensional, decorative and robust in comparising to the Sri-Lankan balustrades which are carved in a typical low relief and are of a more archaic expression than their neighbouring examples. Similar stylistic characteristics can be found on ivory boxes dated to the divided kingdoms period and on weaponry, both of the 16th century. The stones show stylistic similarities with a gaja-simhanada balustrade, in the National Museum of Kandy which is dated to the 14th century.