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

A figure in Chinese mythology and a god in Chinese folk religion, Muzha appears in Ming Dynasty novels such as 'Fengshen Yanyi' and 'Journey to the West'. He was born a human, the second son of General Li Jing and Lady Yin, younger brother to Jinzha and elder brother to Nezha. Muzha left his father and studied under the 'Superiorman Universal Converter' of White Egret Cave for many ears. After Nezha was reincarnated and tried to kill their father, Muzha came to his father's defence, and angrily fought Nezha. Despite all his training, Muzha was eventually defeated by Nezha's golden brick, pulling him to the ground with its immense weight. Humbled by his loss, he later presented himself before Li Resounding, one of the four 'superiormen' of Nine Dragon Island, but tragically killed Li Resounding in a fit of rage when the 'superiorman' refused to teach him. Muzha would also become a disciple of the Bodhisattvas Guanyin and Samantabhadra, and eventually became a 'superiorman' and celestial being himself, deified as the celestial protector of the Western Foothills. Editor: Anandajoti