The Guardians of the Directions (Sanskrit: ???????, Dikp?la) are the deities who rule the specific directions of space according to Hinduism and Vajray?na Buddhism--especially K?lacakra. As a group of eight deities, they are called A??a-Dikp?la (????-???????), 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 Da?a-Dikp?la. In Hinduism it is traditional to represent their images on the walls and ceilings of Hindu temples. Ancient Java and Bali Hinduism recognize Nava-Dikp?la, 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).
The names of the Dikp?las vary slightly, but generally include the following:
Video Guardians of the directions
Directions in Hindu tradition
Directions in Hindu tradition are called as Di??, or Dik. There are four primary directions and a total of 10 directions.
Maps Guardians of the directions
Lokap?las
In Hinduism, the guardians of the cardinal directions are called the Lokap?las (??????), or Dikpalaka. Three main distinctions of Dikpalaka are recognized, being:
A??a-Dikp?la ("Guardians of Eight Directions")
- Kubera (North)
- Yama (South)
- Indra (East)
- Varu?a (West)
- ???na (Northeast)
- Agni (Southeast)
- Vayu (Northwest)
- Nir?ti (Southwest)
Da?a-Dikp?la ("Guardians of Ten Directions")
Besides 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")
- Shiva (Center)
- Vishnu (North)
- Brahma (South)
- Isvara (East)
- Mahadeva (West)
- Sambhu (Northeast)
- Mahesora (Southeast)
- Sangkara (Northwest)
- Rudra (Southwest)
See also
- Lokapala
- Diggaja
- Dikpali
- Matrikas
- Mahavidya
- Four Heavenly Kings
- Norðri, Suðri, Austri and Vestri
- Four sons of Horus
- Titan (mythology)
- Bacab
- Surya Majapahit
- Bhairava
References
- Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dallapiccola
- The Gods of the Directions in Ancient India. Origin and Early Development in Art and Literature (until c. 1000 A.D.), Berlin: Dietrich Reimer 2001 (ISBN 3-496-02713-4) by Corinna Wessels-Mevissen
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