Diggaja

Airavata (sculpture from Udaipur )

Diggajas ( Sanskrit दिग्गज diggaja ) also Dikkarin ( दिक्करिन् dikkarin ) are the eight elephants in Indian mythology that serve the Dikpalas , better known as Lokapalas , the eight guardians of the world and are accordingly assigned to the cardinal points of the Lokapalas.

Its topmost is the white elephant Airavata in the east, which serves as a mount ( Vahana ) for the creator god Indra .

In the Amarakosha of the grammarian Amara Simhan the following list of Diggajas appears:

Diggaja	Sanskrit	Dikpala	Compass direction	Sanskrit
Airavata	आरवत āiravata	Indra	east	पूर्व pūrva
Pundarika	पुण्डरीक puṇḍarīka	Agni	southeast	आग्नेय āgneya
Vamana	वामन Vamana	Yama	south	दक्षिण dakṣiṇa
Kumuda	कुमुद kumuda	Surya	southwest	नैरृत nairṛta
Anjana	अञ्जन añjana	Varuna	west	पश्चिम paścima
Pushpadanta	पुष्पदन्त puṣpadanta	Vayu	Northwest	वायन vāyana
Sarvabhauma	सार्वभौम sārvabhauma	Kubera	north	उत्तर uttara
Supratics	सुप्रतीक supratīka	Ishana	Northeast	ऐशान aiśāna

There are, however, deviations in the tradition, so it is mentioned in the commentary of the Kshriasvamin on the Amarakosha that the lexicographer Bhaguri uses the first five names Airavata, Pundarika, Kumuda, Anjana, and Vamana.

The following order appears in the Vishnudarmottara : Airavana (= Airavata), Padma (= Pundarika), Pushpadanta, Vamana, Supratika, Anjana, Nila (= Sarvabhauma) and Kumuda.

literature

• E. Washburn Hopkins: Epic mythology. Trübner, Strasbourg 1915, p. 17f. Reprint: Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi 1986
• DC Sircar: Studies in the geography of ancient and medieval India. 2nd edition Delhi 1971, p. 331

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Amarakosha 1, 2, 8