ABC

Wrathful deities

Heavenly beings and deities

Some deities in Vajrayana Buddhism are known as wrathful because they appear in ferocious and terrifying form. Legend has it that these wrathful deities were once demonic spirits who became protectors of the Buddhist truth (dharma) when Buddhist monks defeated them. To ward off the enemies of Buddhism, the wrathful deities retained their ferocious appearance. Devotees of Buddhism have no fear of them, however.