Wang Lingguan

Wang Lingguan ( Chinese  王靈官 , Pinyin Wáng Língguān  - "Divine Official Wang") is the guardian deity of Daoist temples and monasteries. A portrait of Wang Lingguan is often placed in the “Hall of the Divine Official” at the entrance to the temple or monastery. For example in Baiyun Guan in Beijing.

In the Journey to the West and other novels Wang Lingguan guarded the palace Yuhuangs .

In hagiographies Wang Lingguan appears under the name Wang Shan, the student of a famous practitioner of thunder rituals (possibly 12th century) (LelFA), Sa Shoujian.

Wang Lingguan was worshiped as the god of thunder or fire, especially in southwest China. In some cases, however, child sacrifices are also mentioned in connection with him , so that his cult could also have another origin.

The practice of rituals involving Wang Lingguan was probably first performed by a Hangzhou Daoist named Zhou Side (1359-1451), which helped legitimize and develop his cult.

Wang Lingguan is considered a demon repeller and expeller, so that he represents an exorcistic deity. In Daofa Huiyan rituals are described which invoke him with this intention.

Wang Lingguan also appears on stage during the performance of ritual operas to exorcise demons.

literature

• Fabrizio Pregadio (Ed.): The Routledge Encyclopedia of Taoism. 2 volumes. "Wang Lingguan", Volume II, pp. 1013f. Routledge, London (et al.) 2008, ISBN 978-0-7007-1200-7 .