Dvarapala

(“door-protector”) Guardian images
placed on either side of the entrance to
a Hindu temple. These figures are usually portrayed as minor celestial beings
and conceived as the protectors of the
sacred space inside. Since any Hindu
temple is first and foremost the home
for the deity within, and since both
kings and gods often used the same
symbols to display and reinforce their
214
Dvapara Yuga
status, it is not surprising that the
deities would have some “servants”
guarding theirs door and restricting
access to them, in the same way as their
human counterparts.