Vaisravana — the guardian king of the North and the god of wealth — is the chief of the Four Heavenly Kings, the protectors of the world and the dharma who guard the four directions: a mighty armored deity who watches over the northern quarter, commands the yaksha hosts, bestows riches, and defends the Buddhist teaching. He is the most powerful and widely worshipped of the four guardian kings.
The King of the North
Vaisravana is the foremost of the Four Heavenly Kings (Lokapalas), the four great guardian-deities who dwell on the slopes of the cosmic Mount Meru and protect the world and the dharma, each warding one of the cardinal directions. Vaisravana guards the North, and he commands the yakshas — the nature-spirits and earth-dwellers — as his hosts. He is depicted as a powerful warrior in full armor, often holding a banner or umbrella of sovereignty and, frequently, a mongoose that spits jewels, or a small stupa (reliquary shrine), symbolizing his guardianship of both wealth and the dharma.
The God of Wealth
Beyond his role as a guardian king, Vaisravana is also a god of wealth and prosperity — identified with Kubera, the Hindu lord of riches — the bestower of fortune and abundance, lord of treasures and the riches of the earth. The jewel-spitting mongoose he holds pours forth gems, a sign of the wealth he grants to his devotees. This dual role as both martial guardian and giver of riches made him especially popular and widely venerated across the Buddhist world.
Bishamonten, the Warrior-God
In Japan, Vaisravana became Bishamonten — a god of war and warriors as well as wealth, one of the Seven Lucky Gods, a fierce armored protector invoked for victory, fortune, and defense against evil, beloved especially by warriors. In China he is Duowen Tianwang, and across Asia his armored image guards temple gates with his three royal brothers. As the chief of the Four Heavenly Kings, the commander of the yakshas, and the lord of wealth, Vaisravana unites martial might and abundance in the service of the dharma. In Vaisravana, Buddhism gave form to the guardian of the North and the giver of riches — the mighty armored king who wards the northern quarter, commands the spirit-hosts, defends the teaching, and pours forth the wealth of the world upon the faithful.