Transliteration of the Sanskrit gandharva, translatedas jikikō 食香 (scent-eater), jinkō 尋香 (scent-seeker), etc., and also known as kōjin 香神 (scent god). A class of semi-divine beings to feed on the fragrance of herbs. In later Indian mythology they are regarded as celestial musicians, in which role they were incorporated into Buddhism as attendants of *Taishakuten 帝釈天, who is a protector of Buddhist law. They are also counted among the attendants of *Jikokuten 持国天, the guardian king of the eastern direction, among the eight classes of beings that protect Buddhism *hachibushū 八部衆, and among the twenty-eight classes of beings that serve as attendants *nijūhachi bushū 二十八部衆 to *Senju Kannon 千手観音, and the thirty-three manifestations of *Kannon 観音 (see *sanjūsanshin 三十三身) mentioned in the Lotus Sutra Hokekyō 法華経. They are also regarded as guardians of children, and it is in this role that one of their kings, called Sendan Kendatsuba 栴檀乾闥婆, figures at the centre of the *Dōjikyō mandara 童子経曼荼羅, which is used in Esoteric Buddhist rituals to ward off danger and illness from children. They are generally depicted clad in armor and holding a trident.