Always curious about this tall handsome looking guy at
the last page of many sutras.
Googled a little about him. His name is also wei-tuo (Dawn u are
right)
韦陀(韦驮)菩萨，又称韦陀天，梵名音译为私建陀提婆，韦驮菩萨现天大将军身时，为四天王座下三十二将之首，也是大家所熟悉的佛教护法神。中国佛教寺院中，韦驮菩萨像常威武地立于最靠近寺院门口的四天王殿内，面向著寺院，以守护伽蓝（即道场之意）。其形像大多为身穿甲胄的雄壮武将，手持金刚杵，或以杵柱地，或双手合十，将杵搁于肘间。韦驼菩萨现天大将军身担当佛教中驱除邪魔，保护佛法的重任，为佛教中护法金刚力士的代表之一。
相传释迦牟尼涅盘时，诸天和众王把佛陀火化后的舍利子分了，各自回去建塔供养。韦陀也分得一颗佛牙，正准备回天堂。一个捷疾鬼浑水摸鱼，偷走一对佛牙舍利，撒腿就跑。韦陀奋起直追，刹那间将捷疾鬼抓获，夺回了佛舍利。诸天和众王纷纷夸奖韦陀能驱除邪魔外道、保护佛法。于是，韦陀被人们称为护法菩萨。
http://www.gdwh.com.cn/swh/2010/1207/article_213.html
Wei-To is an important Deva or God in the
Chinese Pantheon as his image is always present in all temples as
the ‘Entry Guardian’. He is the General-in-Chief of the thirty-two
heavenly generals who come under the Four Heavenly Kings and has
earned such titles as the ‘Protector of the Buddhist Faith’, the
‘Protector of Monasteries’ and the ‘Protector of Dharma Books’. In
all temples where his image is found, he is always placed with his
back to the statue of Maitreya Buddha (Mi-Lo Fwo) so that he faces
the Main or Grand Hall known as the ‘Tai Hung Pao Tien’ where the
main images of the temple are installed.
According to the teaching, Wei-To was a son of a
heavenly king who was so virtuous that when Sakyamuni Buddha was
entering Nirvana, he instructed the prince to guard the
Buddhadharma. Thus it
became his duty to protect the members of the Sangha whenever they
are disturbed in their cultivation by the retinue of Mara, the
Tempter. And whenever a conflict arises among religious Orders,
General Wei-to will discharge his duty to help bring about a
peaceful settlement. His Sanskrit name is Skanda.
Quite often his images are also found in small
shrines located at turning points of roads so as to afford
protection against evil. It is very easy for people to be impressed
with his looks which has a military bearing. He is always portrayed
as a young and good looking man clad in full armour and headgear of
a general, standing and leaning upon an impressive looking sword or
gnarled staff with both hands, or he could be holding a
scepter-shaped defensive weapon.
Just as Maitreya, who as a Bodhisattva, has
earned the mark of respect of a Buddha, Wei-To, though only a Deva
or God, is very often addressed as a Bodhisattva or ‘Wei-To
P’usa’. This is attributed to the prediction that he will
in the future become the Buddha Rucika or ‘Lou-Chi Fwo’, the last
of the thousand Buddhas in our world period.
Since Vajrapani, a very popular Tibetan Buddhist
Bodhisattva who is the God of Rain, and also known as the
Thunderbolt-Bearer, also shares this prediction,
one thus finds Wei-To being referred to as him. However he has not
gained sufficient followers to become a major Deity in Buddhism.
His birthday falls on the 3rd day of the 6th month which is hardly
celebrated in a grand scale.
http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/ancientsgrfx.pdf
