The male
bird is called Kinnara & the female bird is called Kinnari.(half bird
& half human).
These
mythical birds are almost left out when it comes to references.
The
primary reference of them comes when the Puranas describe the geography of
Jambudweep saying that there is a country called Kimpurushvarsha lying beyond
the Kailasa where the Kinnaras and Kimpurushas live. The Kimpurushas thus have
a fixed territory of Kimpurushvarsha but the Kinnaras are also mentioned to be
living along with Yakshas and Gandharvas in certain places.
The main reason why one remembers the Kinnaras is their phenomenal ability to sing beautifully. References were made in the Mahabharata and the same can be understood from their depictions with thambura:
Following
are the coins of Gingee Marathas* with Kinnara/Kinnari depiction
Sculpture
from Madhavaraya swamy temple, Anantpur
The
major places of Kinnaras and Kimpurushas were Gandhamadan and Mandara mountains
to the north of Kailash Mountains and to the east of Meru. The Ramayana also
mentions that along with the Yakshas and Rakshasas, Gandharvas, Kinnaras and
Kimpurushas were also living in Lanka under Kubera.
Kinnaras
are mentioned to be one of the sub-tribe within the Gandharvas (mentioned in
mahabharatha 2.10).
Source:
Internet
Gingee
Marathas* - Doubtful attribution
