Nio (Buddhism)
Niō (in Japanese contexts) or Inwang (in Korean contexts) or Renwang (in Chinese contexts) or Nhân vương (in Vietnamese contexts), also known as the Deva or Benevolent Kings, are two wrathful and muscular guardians of the Buddha standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist temples in East Asian Buddhism in the form of frightening wrestler-like statues. They are dharmapala manifestations of the bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi, the oldest and most powerful of the Mahayana Buddhist pantheon.