(“door-protector”) Images of guardians placed on each side of a Hindu temple's entryway.
These creatures are often shown as small heavenly beings that serve as guardians of the holy sanctuary inside.
Because any Hindu temple is first and foremost a home for the deity within, and because both kings and gods frequently used the same symbols to display and reinforce their status, it's not surprising that the deities, like their human counterparts, would have some "servants" guarding their doors and restricting access to them.
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