Dvarapala

Dvarapala
A dvarapala is a door or gate guardian statue (either human or demonic) in Buddhism. They were traditionally placed outside Buddhist temples and other structures to protect the holy places inside.

Smaller structures may have had only one dvarapala. Often there was a pair placed on either side of the threshold to the shrine. Some larger sites may have had four (lokapālas, guardians of the four cardinal directions), eight, or 12.

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Last updated on Tuesday June 10, 2008 at 18:57:30 PDT (GMT -0700)
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