|caption=Statue of Wéi Tuó (Skanda) in [[Chung Tai Chan Monastery]] in [[Puli, Nantou|Puli Township]], [[Nantou County]], [[Taiwan]]}}
'''Skanda''' (Chinese:{{Lang-zh|c=塞建陀, 室建陀}}), also known as '''Wei Tuo''' ({{Lang-zh|c=韋馱}}) and '''Idaten''' ({{Lang-zh|c=韋駄天}}), is a [[Mahayana]] [[bodhisattva]] regarded as a devoted guardian of [[vihara|Buddhist monasteries]] who protects the teachings of [[Buddhism]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fang |first=Litian |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1054272405 |title=Chinese Buddhism and traditional culture |date=2019 |isbn=978-1-315-72048-7 |location=New York |pages=134–135 |oclc=1054272405}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Kitts |first=Margo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OYy4EAAAQBAJ |title=The Cambridge Companion to Religion and War |date=2023-05-11 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-83544-2 |pages=195 |language=en}}</ref> He is also sometimes called in the Chinese tradition "Hufa Weituo Zuntian Pusa", meaning "Honored Dharma Protector Skanda Bodhisattva", because he is one of the [[Twenty-Four Protective Deities|twenty-four celestial guardian deities]] mentioned in the ''[[Golden Light Sutra]]''.
In Chinese temples, Skanda faces the statue of the Buddha in the main shrine, traditionally unarmed and with his hands in [[Añjali Mudrā|anjali]]. In others, he is on the far right of the main shrine with weapon in hand, whereas on the left is his counterpart, Sangharama (personified as the historical general [[Guan Yu]]). In Chinese [[sutra]]s, his image is found at the end of the sutra, a reminder of his vow to protect and preserve the teachings.
