Chinthe
The chinthe is the stylized lion-guardian of Burmese Buddhism, a heraldic rendering of the Asiatic lion that flanks the entrances of pagodas, stupas and kyaung monasteries throughout Myanmar. Tradition derives it from the Mahavamsa tale of a Vanga princess wed to a lion whose son Sihabahu slew his father and raised a lion statue in atonement; the chinthe also marks Tuesday in the Burmese zodiac.