Illustration/Devdutt Pattanaik

If you walk around a traditionally-built Hindu temple, it is likely that you will see images of the guardians of the directions (diggapala): Kubera in the north, Yama in the south, Indra in the east and Varuna in the west, with Vayu, Chandra (or Ishana), Agni and Surya (or Nirriti) in the ordinal directions. There are two other guardians of directions: Brahma above and Sesha below, who are often ignored in art, but listed in text. These minor gods of Hinduism play a key role in Vastu shastra, or the Hindu lore on space and settlements as they keep out negative energies and bring in positive energies from each of these directions.