Manussiha

Manussiha (Burmese: မနုဿီဟ, Shan: မၼုၵ်ႉသီႇႁႃႉ, Pali: manussīha, lit. 'man-lion'), is a Burmese half-man half-lion mythical creature believed to be created by Buddhist missionary monks to protect a new-born royal baby from being devoured by rakshasis (ogresses) from the sea. Its statues are usually found guarding the four corners of a pagoda. It has a human head and torso and lion hindquarters. Thus, it can be called a Burmese sphinx. Notably, Manussiha is the symbol in the seal of Shwedagon Pagoda and the patch badge of Shwe Dagon Pagoda Security.

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