Yanluo

Yanluo, also known as Yanluo Wang (阎罗王), is the Chinese name for the mythic ruler of the underworld in Chinese folk religion and Buddhist cosmology. In traditional belief, Yanluo Wang presides over Diyu, the realm of the dead, and acts as the chief judge who determines a deceased person’s afterlife based on their deeds.

Origins and identity: The figure derives from Yama, the Hindu god of death, and entered Chinese religious imagination through Buddhist and Daoist interactions. The Chinese rendering "Yanluo" adapts Yama’s name; over time he became the principal judge in the underworld, guiding the administration of punishment and reward.

Ten Kings of Hell: Yanluo Wang is commonly described as the first of the Ten Kings of Hell (十殿阎罗王), a framework in which successive judges oversee different courts and punishments. In this schema, Yanluo is the head of the court and often the initial examiner of a deceased soul, with other kings enforcing specific penalties.

Iconography and worship: In art and temple iconography, Yanluo Wang is typically depicted as a stern official, sometimes with a tablet listing charges or a ceremonial scepter, seated in a courtroom setting. Folk practices include prayers and offerings for fair judgment and guidance for the dead’s journey.

In modern culture, Yanluo is used as a symbol of strict justice and appears in literature, film, and popular discourse about death and the afterlife. The concept continues to influence East Asian representations of the afterlife and moral causation.