Guardians of the directions

The Guardians of the Directions (Sanskrit: दिक्पाल, Dikpāla) are the deities who rule the specific directions of space according to Hinduism, Jainism and [[Vajrayana|Template:IAST]] Buddhism—especially [[Kalachakra|Template:IAST]]. As a group of eight deities, they are called Template:IAST (अष्ट-दिक्पाल), literally meaning guardians of eight directions. They are often augmented with two extra deities for the ten directions (the two extra directions being zenith and nadir), when they are known as the Template:IAST. In Hinduism it is traditional to represent their images on the walls and ceilings of Hindu temples. They are also often portrayed in Jain temples, with the exception that Nāga usually takes the place of Vishnu Template:Sfnp in the nadir. Ancient Java and Bali Hinduism recognize Template:IAST, literally meaning guardians of nine directions, that consist of eight directions with one addition in the center. The nine guardian gods of directions is called Dewata Nawa Sanga (Nine guardian devata). The diagram of these guardian gods of directions is featured in Surya Majapahit, the emblem of Majapahit empire.

There are strong similarities between the concept of the guardians of the directions and the lore surrounding the Chinese four symbols, four ancestral spirits who are responsible for four of the cardinal directions (North, South, East, and West).Template:Citation needed

Directions in Hindu tradition

Directions in Hindu tradition are called as Template:IAST, or Dik. There are four primary directions and a total of 10 directions.

English	Sanskrit
North	Uttara, Udīcī
South	Dakṣīṇa, Avāchip
East	Pūrva, Prācī, Prāk, Aruna
West	Template:IAST, Pratīcī, Aparā
Northeast	Īśānya
Southeast	Āgneya
Northwest	Vāyavya
Southwest	Template:IAST
Zenith	Template:IAST
Nadir	AdhaH

Lokapālas

In Hinduism, the guardians of the cardinal directions are called the [[Lokapala|Template:IAST]]s (लोकपाल), or Dikpalaka. Three main distinctions of Dikpalaka are recognized, being:

Template:IAST ("Guardians of Eight Directions")

Name	Direction
# Kubera The God of Fortune	North
# Yama The God of Justice and Death	South
# Indra The Lord of Heaven and God of the Weather, Sky, Rain, and Storms	East
# Varuna, God of the Seas, Oceans, and Rain	West
# Ishana, God of Birth, Death, Resurrection, and Time	Northeast
# Agni God of Fire	Southeast (In the image incorrectly shown on southwest)
# Vayu God of the Winds and Air	Northwest
# Nirriti Goddess of Death, Sorrow, and DecayTemplate:Sfnp Template:Sfnp	Southwest (In the image incorrectly shown on southeast)

Template:IAST ("Guardians of Ten Directions")

Template:Unsourced sectionBesides the eight guardians, the following are added:

Brahma (Zenith, meaning "the farthest up from the gravitational force")
Vishnu (Nadir, meaning "the direction in which gravity pulls")

Template:IAST ("Guardians of Nine Directions")

(Called Dewata Nawa Sanga in ancient Java and Bali Hinduism.)

Shiva (Center)
Vishnu (North)
Brahma (South)
Isvara (East)
Mahadeva (West)
Sambhu (Northeast)
Mahesora (Southeast)
Sangkara (Northwest)
Rudra (Southwest)

Notes

References

Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend{{#if:Dallapiccola|, Dallapiccola}(2002). ISBN 0-500-51088-1
India through the ages{{#if:Gopal|, Gopal}. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India(1990)
A Thousand Petalled Lotus: Jain Temples of Rajasthan: Architecture & Iconography{{#if:Kumar|, Kumar}. Abhinav Publications(2001)
Puranic encyclopaedia : a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature{{#if:Mani|, Mani}. Motilal Banarsidass(1975)
The Gods of the Directions in Ancient India. Origin and Early Development in Art and Literature (until c. 1000 A.D.){{#if:Wessels-Mevissen|, Wessels-Mevissen}. Dietrich Reimer(2001). ISBN 3-496-02713-4

External links

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