Twenty-Four Protective Deities

Statue of the Twenty-Four Devas (二十四諸天 Èrshísì Zhūtiān) in Lingyin Temple (靈隱寺 Língyǐnsì); Hangzhou, China

The Twenty-Four Protective Deities or the Twenty-Four Devas (Chinese: 二十四諸天; pinyin: Èrshísì Zhūtiān), sometimes reduced to the Twenty Protective Deities or the Twenty Devas (Chinese: 二十諸天; pinyin: Èrshí Zhūtiān), are a group of dharmapalas in Chinese Buddhism who are venerated as defenders of the Buddhist dharma. The group mostly consists of devas, naga kings, vajra-holders and other beings mentioned in Buddhist sūtras, as well as a few adapted from the Taoist pantheon and converted into Buddhist dharmapalas.

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