# Heavenly King Virudhaka

- Date: 1368–1644
- Medium: hanging scroll; color on silk
- Classification: Painting
- Dimensions: Painting only: 110 x 75.2 cm (43 5/16 x 29 5/8 in.); Overall: 243 x 95 cm (95 11/16 x 37 3/8 in.)
- Culture: China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
- Credit line: Worcester R. Warner Collection
- Museum: [Cleveland Museum of Art](https://clevelandart.org/art/1918.544)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://invisiblenetwork.ai/thumbs/cma/1918.544/1918.544_web.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Virudhaka, Lokapala or Heavenly King of the South, is one of four guardians placed at the entrance of Buddhist temple halls or hung on all four sides of an altar for protection against evil spirits. Having a blue face, Virudhaka wears armor and holds a sword. Demons flank the deity: one with open mouth and three eyes whirls a banner and holds a snake; the other has a dragon slung around his neck.