Dikpalas

Dikpalas (or dikpalakas) are the Guardians of the Directions, the Vedic deities who rule the specific directions of space.

Each god is the protector (ruler) of the territories facing one of the cardinal directions or one of the four intermediate directions, plus two extra directions being zenith and nadir.

With time, some Vedic gods progressively lost their position in favour of the Hindu deities, notably Vishnu and Shiva.  Vishnu became the uncontested ruler of the west, while Shiva occupied the north-east or the east in certain Hindu traditions.

Interestingly, in the Angkor temples built by Jayavarman VII, Shiva is found on the northern axis.