Gods And Goddesses: Yama

Yama, or Yamaaraja, is the Hindu god of the dead who is said to be the first mortal who died and gained ruler of the dead due to this. Yama is one of the Guardians of the Directions, being of the south. Yama is occasionally called Dharma.

He is depicted often riding a black buffalo with green or red skin and red clothes. In one of his hands, Yama holds a rope that he uses to pull souls from a corpse. Yama notably wears a crown and has a mace.

Yama is the son of Surya and has the twin Yami, with another deity known as Shani being Yama’s brother. Yami later came to earth as the river known as Yamuna.

Yama lives in a palace called Kalichi and has attendants help him with his work. Yama keeps a register of each person’s life span in a book called “Book of Destiny” and is maintained by attendants.