Malaysia / China: Carving of the god Nezha, depicting his role in the 16th Century...

Nezha is a protection deity in Chinese folk religion, with various titles to his name, such as 'Marshall of the Central Altar' and 'Third Lotus Prince'. Nezha is often portrayed as a young androgynous boy, wielding the 'Fire-Tipped Spear' and the 'Universe Ring', as well as 'riding' through the sky on two fiery wheels, known as the 'Wind Fire Wheels'. According to the Ming Dynasty novel 'Fengshen Yanyi', Nezha was born during the Shang Dynasty, to Commander Jing Li Jing and Lady Yin, who gave birth to a ball of flesh after carrying him for three years and six months. Li Jing, thinking she had given birth to a demon, attacked the ball with his sword, which split open to reveal Nezha as a boy rather than an infant, immediately able to walk and talk. Nezha has become a popular character in Chinese folk religion and writing, with various stories attibuted to him, as well as appearing in novels such as 'Fengshen Yanyi' and 'Journey to the West'. He is regarded as a tutelary god for many professional drivers, with trucks, taxis and sightseeing bus drivers sometimes having a statue of him in their vehicles to protect them. Editor: Anandajoti