ASHTA DIK PALAKAS

The guardian deities of the eight direction as the terminology signifies, the Ashta
dikpalakas are worshipped as the guardians of the cosmic realm in the hindu
pantheon. It is quite interesting to learn and observe the evolution of the guardians
of directions in the Hindu myths. Earlier vedic texts starts with the worship of the
gods of four directions and then it develops into six directions including the direction
above (urdhva) and below (adha) the cosmic plane. In course of practice the four
directions 'dik' added with the four inter directions 'vidik' forms the eight directions
and are guarded by the 'Ashta dik palaks' with Brahma guarding the direction above
and Ananta the direction below counting ten.
Purva (east), Dakshina (south), Pashchima (west) and Uttara (north) are the 'Dik"
and Agneya (south East), Nairutya (South west), Vayavya (north west) and Isanya
(north east) are the 'Vidik' (inter directions. As seen in the names of the inter
directions we can understand that it to be a later ideology derived from the names
of the guardians. It is significant that the Pratimalakshana section of the
Vishnudharmottarapurana deals with the guardians of Dik first and then the
guardians of the Vidik.
It is quite common in the temple architecture to depict the Dik palakas in reliefs in
the ceiling in a pattern of a Mandala. Also in various temples like the Kanchipuram
Kailasanatha temple, Thanjavur Brihadiswara temple etc they are enshrined in their
respective directions symbolising the temple structure as a miniature portraying the
entire cosmic sphere.

ceiling panel showing Astadikpalakas with Vishnu and consorts in the centre, Badami, cave 3

Two important display of the Ashtadikpalakas can be noted in the ceilings of the
Virupaksha temple in Hampi. A profusely chiseled relief of the dikpalakas in chloritic
schist is seen in the ceiling of the Bhuvaneswari shrine in this temple complex. This
shrine belongs to the 11th century CE probably authored by the chiefs of Kampili.
The roof of the sabha mantapa of this shrine is an octoganal star shaped inscribed
in a square. The circular lotus medallion forms the centre. The dikpalaka reliefs are
found on the face of the vertical raiser member of the octagfonal star. The
dikpalakas are riding on their vahanas accompanied by their consorts and flanked
by clustered retinue.

Nairuthi with consort riding on a man, Bhuvaneswari shrine, Virupaksha temple, Hampi, 11 century CE

Another significant depiction in this temple is the row of the Ashtadikpalakas

among the painted panels in the Rangamantapa. The row of eight deities riding on
their vahanas are painted below the panel portraying the Girijakalyana scene. In
this context the Girija kalyana scene painted in the Natyamantapa of the
Veerabhadraswamy temple in Lepakshi can be compared, where the dikpalakas are
shown as attending the marriage. However in the Hampi panels they do not form a
part of the marriage scene but are individual deites painted in seperate arches.