Dragon King

The Dragon King, also known as the Dragon God, is a celestial creature, water and weather god in Asian mythology. They can be found in various cultural and religious symbolic materials all around Asia, specifically in South, Southeast Asia and distinctly in East Asian cultures (Chinese folk-religion). He is known in many different names across Asia depending on the local language such as, Ryū in Japanese. (Korean Dragon, Indian Dragon, Vietnamese Dragon and more)

He can manipulate and control the weather, move seasons and bring rainfall with his divine power at his own will, thus, he is regarded as the dispenser of rain, divine ruler of the Seas, rivers and water bodies,  commanding over all bodies of water. He is the collective personification of the ancient concept of the lóng in Chinese culture and Nāgarāja in Indian culture. It is described that they have their own under-water palace and a royal court system of their own.

There are also the cosmological "Dragon Kings of the Four Seas" ().

Besides being a water deity, the Dragon God frequently also serves as a territorial tutelary deity, similarly to Tudigong "Lord of the Earth" and Houtu "Queen of the Earth".

<big>Origins</big>

Serpent like creatures have been regarded as core part of Asian culture since 7000–5000 BCE (Neolithic period) at least. Numerous Serpent like crafts, marks and designs have been discovered in many archeological sites from south, southeast and east asia (Notably from ancient archeological sites of China and India), which proves that the serpent/naga/dragon symbolically has been part of the local folklores, rituals and festivals in these areas from a really long time. As time has passed the Dragon culture has been adapted and shifted in various forms, terms, tales and cultures through generation around these regions and the folk-religious cultures.

Singular Dragon King

The Dragon King has been regarded as holding dominion over all bodies of water, and the dispenser of rain, in rituals practiced into the modern era in China. One of his epithets is Dragon King of Wells and Springs.

Rainmaking rituals

Dragon processions have been held on the fifth and sixth moon of the lunisolar calendar all over China, especially on the 13th day of the sixth moon, held to be the Dragon King's birthday, as ritualized supplication to the deity to make rain. In Changli County, Hebei Province a procession of sorts carried an image of the Dragon King in a basket and made circuit around nearby villages, and the participants would put out in front of their house a piece of yellow paper calligraphed with the text: "The position [=tablet] of the Dragon King of the Four Seas , Five Lakes, Eight Rivers and Nine Streams", sprinkle it with water using willow withes, and burning incense next to it. This ritual was practiced in North of China into the 20th century. There are numerous Serpent/Dragon deities and numerous temples or shrines dedicated to them such as Sagara, Varuna is also one of the oldest deities, often depicted as the God of the oceans, rivers, and all water bodies. People offer prayers and other offerings for rainmaking rituals and agriculture.

In Japan, rainmaking rituals, one of these is known as "amagoi" (雨乞い) which has been practiced for centuries for rain during the times of drought. These rainmaking rituals varied and often involve Shinto and Buddhist ceremonies, with prayers, offerings and symbolic actions aimed to influence weather patterns and please the heaven. The water-related deities and dragons are central to these rituals. Many Japanese Shinto shrines have dragon imagery which are dedicated to the dragon god, reflecting their importance in the religion.

In Korea, Dragons are rather worshiped through folk beliefs and rituals. Yongwang is honored in village rituals, mainly in fishing communities. Prayers are offered for successful catches and safe voyages, rain and agriculture. Buddhist monks would sometimes burn their forearms or fingers in supplication for rain. In ancient Korea, rainmaking rituals were called "Giuje" (祈雨祭) which used to be performed during times of drought to invoke rain. These rituals varied and involved both government officials and commoners. It also included Buddhist monks and female shamans to perform the rituals. In one of the rituals named "Seokcheok-dongja" (石尺童子), children would torment a lizard (symbolizing a dragon) in the belief that it would induce the dragon to bring rain.

As Protector

Dragon or Naga also symbolically represents good luck and protection in the Asian culture. They symbolize wisdom, strength, and good fortune, embodying a fierce compassion that safeguards the sacred knowledge and maintains cosmic balance. In religion, they are revered as powerful protectors of the Dharma and the teachings.

Dragons/Nagas stand guard at all Buddhist temples throughout Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Malaysia. In Indonesia, Nagas are often depicted battling garuḍas. Carved nāga art and sculptures are found as stairs railings in bridges or stairs, such as those found in Balinese temples, Ubud monkey forest, and Taman Sari in Yogyakarta. (Main article Nāga)

Moreover, nāgas are sometimes linked to medicine due to the symbolizing of knowledge, wisdom and protection. The nāgas can also be founded substituting the snakes in either Rod of Asclepius or Caduceus of several medical field's symbols. In legends, Nāga Vasuki is present in the legend of the Samudra Manthana, in which Dhanvantari (god of Ayurveda, Asian traditional medicine or alchemist) and amrita (the elixir of eternal life) were churned from the Ocean of Milk by him.

Daoist pantheon

Within the Daoist pantheon, the Dragon King is regarded the zoomorphic representation of the yang masculine power of generation. The dragon king is the king of the dragons and he also controls all of the creatures in the sea. The dragon king gets his orders from the Jade Emperor.(Main article Chinese Dragon)

Dragon Kings of the Five Regions

Historically there arose a cult of the Five Dragon Kings. The name is registered in Daoist scripture from the Tang dynasty, found in the Dunhuang caves.

Description

The Azure Dragon or Blue-Green Dragon (), or Green Dragon (), is the Dragon God of the east, and of the essence of spring. Azure Dragon is associated as the Dragon King of the East sea, Ao Guang.

The Red Dragon ( or , literally "Cinnabar Dragon", "Vermilion Dragon") is the Dragon God of the south and of the essence of summer. The Red Dragon is associated as the Dragon king of the South sea, Ao Qin.

The White Dragon () is the Dragon God of the west and the essence of autumn. The White Dragon is associated as the Dragon King of the West sea, Ao Run.

The Yellow Dragon () is the Dragon God of the center, associated with (late) summer. Yellow Dragon is directly associated as Jade Emperor and Yellow Emperor, it is considered that the mythical Emperor is the reincarnation of the Yellow Dragon.

The Black Dragon (), also called "Dark Dragon" or "Mysterious Dragon" (), is the Dragon God of the north and the essence of winter. The Black Dragon is associated as the Dragon King of the North sea, Ao Shun.

Broad history

thumb|Four Dragon Kings, Qing dynasty.

thumb|Ming Dynasty [[Shuilu ritual paintings|Shuilu ritual painting from Baoning Temple in Shanxi, China.]]

thumb|Yangjian taisui Wulong Tugong Tumu Zaoshen xiang (Ming dynasty, 1609AD)

Dragons of the Five Regions/Directions existed in Chinese custom, established by the Former Han period(200BCE) (Cf. §Origins below). The same concept couched in "dragon king" (longwang) terminology from "dragon" was centuries later, the term "dragon king" being imported from India (Sanskrit naga-raja), assists Rama to create the Ram-setu.

In Fengshen Yanyi and Journey to the West where each of them has a proper name, and they share the surname Ao (, meaning "playing" or "proud"). The origin of their family name, Ao (敖), however, remains unclear. The names of the Dragon Kings also vary according to the stories they are featured in.

Dragon of the Eastern Sea

His proper name is Ao Guang ( or ), and he is the patron of the East China Sea. He is often directly associated as the Dragon King Sagara.

Dragon of the Western Sea

His proper names are Ao Run (), Ao Jun () or Aó Jí (). He is the patron of Qinghai Lake, sometimes also the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and beyond. The Hindu sea god Varuna is often associated with him due to historical relations between Chinese and Indian religions.

Dragon of the Southern Sea

He is the patron of the South China Sea, West Philippine Sea and his proper name is Ao Qin ().

Dragon of the Northern Sea

His proper names are Ao Shun () or Ao Ming (), and his body of water is Lake Baikal, Sea of Japan sometimes also, the Arctic Ocean.

Worship of the Dragon God

Worship of the Dragon God is celebrated throughout China with sacrifices and processions during the fifth and sixth moons, and especially on the date of his birthday the thirteenth day of the sixth moon. A folk religious movement of associations of good-doing in modern Hebei is primarily devoted to a generic Dragon God whose icon is a tablet with his name inscribed on it, utilized in a ritual known as the "movement of the Dragon Tablet". The Dragon God is traditionally venerated with dragon boat racing.

In coastal regions of China, Korea, Vietnam, traditional legends and worshipping of whales (whale gods) have been referred to Dragon Kings after the arrival of Buddhism.

Buddhism

"There were eight dragon kings', the dragon king Nanda, the dragon king Upananda, the dragon king Sagara, the dragon king Vasuki, the dragon king Takshaka, the dragon king Anavatapta, the dragon king Manasvin, the dragon king Utpalaka, each with several hundreds of thousands of followers." - Dragon King Sutra In the Budhhist folk tale Complete Tale of Avalokiteśvara and the Southern Seas, the third son of the Dragon king was accidentally captured by a fisherman and later saved by Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. To show her gratitude for saving her brother, Longnü offers the "Pearl of light" to Avalokiteśvara and became a disciple of him and soon later Longnü attained Niravana.

Tibetan Buddhism, the nāgas are the followers of Virūpākṣa (Pāli: Virūpakkha), one of the Four Heavenly Kings who guards the western direction. They act as guards upon Mount Sumeru, protecting the dēvas of Trāyastriṃśa from attacks by the asuras. (Main article Nāgaraja, Virūpākṣa)

Apalāla (Pali, Sanskrit) is a water-dwelling Nāga-king in Buddhist mythology. The story of conversion to Buddhism by the Buddha (Pali: Apalāladamana) can be found in Buddhist texts such as Samantapāsādikā and Divyāvadāna.

Some Buddhist traditions describe a figure named Duo-luo-shi-qi, or Talasikhin, as a Dragon King who resides in a palace located in a pond near the legendary kingdom of Ketumati. It is said that at midnight, he would drizzle in this pond to cleanse himself of dust.

Buddhist literature features a Nāga King named Dhṛtarāṣṭra (Sanskrit; Pali: Dhataraṭṭha), who is one of the four Heavenly kings, guarding the east. He was the father of Gautama Buddha in a past life when Budhha was bodhisattva named Bhūridatta. He is mentioned in Buddhist texts Bhūridatta Jātaka, the Mahamayuri Vidyarajni Sutra and the Mahāmegha Sūtra.

Artistic depictions

File:三星堆-青铜龙_Sanxingdui_bronze_Chinese_dragon.jpg|Bronze dragon from Sanxingdui, Shang dynasty, China. 1000 BCE

File:Naga King Sculpture.jpg|High relief sculpture of Naga couple, from Ajanta Cave #19, Maharashtra, India. 500–1000 BCE

File:Dragon_Pendant,_Eastern_Zhou_dynasty_or_Warring_States_period,_c_4th_3rd_century_BC.jpg|Jade dragon pendants, Zhou dynasty, China. 200–1000 BCE

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Japan

As already mentioned, Esoteric Buddhists in Japan who initially learned their trade from Tang dynasty China engaged in rainmaking ritual prayers invoking dragon kings under a system known as or , established in the Shingon sect founded by the priest Kūkai, who learned Buddhism in Tang China. It was first performed by Kūkai in the year 824 at Shinsen'en, according to legend, but the first occasion probably took place historically in the year 875, then a second time in 891. The rain ritual came to be performed regularly.

The ritual used two mandalas that featured dragon kings. The Great Mandala that was hung up was of a design that centered around Sakyamuni Buddha, surrounded by the , the ten thousand dragon kings, Bodhisattvas (based on the , "Scripture of [Summoning] Great Clouds and Petitioning for Rain").