Pancha Raksha

Pancha Raksha is one of the Five Protectors which are a group of deities that are the personifications of five early Buddhist texts (sutra), the oldest dating to the 4th century CE. They also personify the special verbal utterances called mantras. These five deities each have specific functions and are directed toward accomplishing worldly welfare and happiness, preventing and surviving natural disasters, curing snakebite, overcoming fear, and averting pestilence and epidemics.There are many forms for each these deities, with multiple heads and arms, and many different traditions of practice. They are popular throughout the Himalayas and Central Asia and can also be found in China and Japan.