A Wisdom King is a type of wrathful deity in East Asian Buddhism alsp called Vidyārājas.
Whereas the Sanskrit name is translated literally as "wisdom / knowledge king(s)," the term vidyā in Vajrayana Buddhism is also specifically used to denote mantras; the term may thus also be translated "mantra king(s)."
Vidyā is translated in Chinese with the character 明 (lit. "bright, radiant", figuratively "knowledge(able), wisdom, wise"), leading to a wide array of alternative translations such as .
A dharmapāla is a type of wrathful god in Buddhism.
The name means "dharma protector" in Sanskrit, and the dharmapālas are also known as the Defenders of the Justice (Dharma), or the Guardians of the Law.
There are two kinds of dharmapala, Worldly Guardians (lokapala) and Wisdom Protectors (jnanapala).
Only Wisdom Protectors are enlightened beings.
In Vajrayana iconography and thangka depictions, dharmapala are fearsome beings, often with many heads, many hands, or many feet.