Guardians of the directions

The Guardians of the Directions (Sanskrit Dikpālas / दिक्पाल) are the deities who rule the specific directions of space according to Hinduism and Vajrayāna Buddhism—especially Kālacakra. When with eight deities, they're called Aṣṭa-Dikpālas / 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 Daśa-dikpālas. In Hinduism it is traditional to represent their images on the walls and ceilings of Hindu temples. The names of the Dikpālas vary slightly, but generally include the following:

Name	Direction	Mantra	Weapon	Consort	Graha(Planet)
Kubera	North	Oṃ Shaṃ Kuberāya Namaḥ	Gadā	Kuberajāyā	Candra (Moon)
Yama	South	Oṃ Maṃ Yamāya Namaḥ	Daṇḍa	Varahajāyā	Brihaspati (Jupiter)
Indra	East	Oṃ Laṃ Indrāya Namaḥ	Vajra	Śacī	Sūrya (Sun)
Varuṇa	West	Oṃ Vaṃ Varuṇāya Namaḥ	Pāśa	Varuṇajāyā	Śukra (Venus)
Īśāna	Northeast	Oṃ Haṃ Īśānāya Namaḥ	Triśūla	Parvathi	Rāhu (North Lunar Node)
Agni	Southeast	Oṃ Raṃ Agnaye Namaḥ	Śakti	Svāhā	Mangal (Mars)
Vayu	Northwest	Oṃ Yaṃ Vayuve Namaḥ	Aṅkuśa	Vayujāyā	Śani (Saturn)
Nirṛti (sometimes Rakṣasa)	Southwest	Oṃ Kṣaṃ Rakṣasāya Namaḥ	Khaḍga	Khaḍgī	Budha (Mercury)
Vishnu	Zenith	Oṃ Aṃ Anantāya Namaḥ	Chakra	Lakṣmī	Lagna
Brahma	Nadir	Oṃ Hriṃ Brahmaṇe Namaḥ	Padma	Sarasvatī	Ketu (South Lunar Node)

Directions in Hindu tradition

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

English	Sanskrit	Other
East	Pūrva	Prāchi, Prāk
West	Paścima	Pratīchi, Apara
North	Uttara	Udīchi
South	Dakshina	Avāchi
North-East	Īśānya
South-East	Āgneya
North-West	Vāyavya
South-West	Nairṛti
Up	Ūrdhva
Down	Atha

Lokapālas

In Hinduism the Guardians of the four cardinal directions are called the Lokapālas (लोकपाल). They are:

• Kubera (north)
• Yama (south)
• Indra (east)
• Varuṇa (west)

Images of the Lokapālas are usually placed in pairs at the entrance to tombs. As Guardians they can call upon the spirits of the next world to help them protect the tomb if necessary.

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

See also

• Four Heavenly Kings