Home > Society > Religion in India > Marici
Marici
Marici is a representation of common Marichipuva and it is a concept evolved in China, Japan and India in the early era.

Share this Article:

Marici, BuddhismMarici is a deva or bodhisattva associated with light and the sun.

Marici is known as Molizhitian or Molizhitian Pusa in China and Marishi-ten in Japan and in Tibetan as `Odzer Canma, "Woman Endowed with Rays of Light".

Marici in Chinese Buddhism
Marici is known under the epithet of the Lady of Dipper Mother or Doumu, a name sometimes used by Buddhists.

Iconography of Marici
Marici is a representation of common Marichipuva with eight arms, holding a needle and the piece of string in the first pair of her hands, a goad, and noose in a second bow and arrow in third and a vajra and ashoka flower in the last. It is also depicted as a beautiful woman on an open lotus, the lotus itself sometimes perched on the back of seven sows. While depicting Marici as a ferocious wrathful deity, it perched on the back of a boar. As a multi-armed woman with a different weapon in each hand standing or sitting on the back of a boar, she has been depicted with one, three, five or six faces and two, six, eight, ten or twelve arms; three eyes; in her many-faced manifestations one of her faces is that of a sow. The iconography of Marici is common in India, but there are few examples in China and Japan.

Origin of Marici
The origins of Marici are obscure; however, she appears to be an amalgamation of Indic, Iranian and non-Indo-Iranian antecedents spanning 1500 years. Marici has also sometimes included as one of the Twelve Heavenly Generals associated with Bhaisajyaguru, the Buddha of Medicine.

Iconography of Marici in Hinduism
Rishi Marichi which means the ray of light is the son of Brahma, the cosmic creator, and also one of the Saptarshi, in the First Manvantara, with others being Atri, Angiras, Pulaha, Kratu, Pulastya and Vashishtha.

Life of Marichi in Hinduism
The life of Marichi or Marici is known by the explanation of his descendants, notably by the works of sage Kasyapa. Marichi is then married to Kala and gave birth to Kashyap. Kashyapa is also sometimes acknowledged as a Prajapati, who has inherited the right of creation from his father.


Share this Article:

Related Articles

More Articles in Religion in India


Religion in Indus Valley Civilization
Religion in Indus Valley Civilisation included Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Details about the religion in Indus Valley Civilization have been gathered from archaeological artefacts.
Shaivism Religion
Shaivism is the second largest “religious community” in modern India with its roots deeply seated in the Hindu Vedic belief.
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism is among the more popular denominations of Hinduism, with its own distinctive ideas about spirituality and morality. Vaishnavism concentrates on worshipping god Vishnu and of his incarnations.
Hinduism Religion
Hinduism is more of a philosophy which is a way of living according to the understanding of the principles of Vedas and Upanishads.
Islam
Islam is a religion that beliefs in Allah as the one and only God and creator of the Universe. Islamic law or Sharia is characterised by the five pillars of Islam which comprise the essential duties of every Muslim.
Christianity
Christianity is a religion based on the teachings and life of Jesus Christ and it is the largest religion in the world.
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and a philosophy that encompasses a wide variety of beliefs, practices and traditions that are chiefly based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha and its later disciples.
Jainism
Jainism chronologically preceded the religion of Buddhism. It is considered as one of the oldest religions of India. Jainism in India shared with Hinduism and Buddhism. It is an integral part of South Asian religious belief and practice, but it is not a Hindu sect and not a Buddhist heresy, as earlier scholars believed.
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism, closely related to Judaism, Christianity and Islam was founded by Zoroaster.
Sikhism
Sikhism is a religion started by Guru Nanak in land of Punjab in 15th century A.D.
Iyer Brahmin
Iyer Brahmins are originally from Tamil Nadu of South India. The Iyers have always taken an interest in preserving the arts and sciences.
Barai Caste
Barai Caste is the professional cultivator caste of betel leaf. Tamboli and Pansari are the terms used indifferently for Barai Caste. The diversity of names of the sub-divisions of Barai Caste discloses the mixed elements that formed the caste.
Dangi Caste
Dangi Caste is largely distributed in the high land regions, and the word Dangi is said to have originated from the geographical features of their territory. Main occupation of the members of Dangi Caste is cultivation.
Nadar Caste
One of the most renowned castes of Tamil Nadu is the Nadar caste. The Nadar community is a mixture of sub-castes and classes of different origins, which came under one banner of Nadar caste gradually.
Kumbhakar Caste
Kumbhakar is the potter caste who manufactures all kinds of earthen vessels.
Gujjars in Maharashtra
Gujjars in Maharashtra have several sub-castes. Here, in this state the Gurjars are listed as a separate caste. They are included in the Maharashtra OBC list.
Awasthi Brahmin
Awasthi is a surname or a family name of a particular sub-caste of Brahmins in the Indian continent.
Bhoyar Caste
Bhoyar Caste is largely found in the Central Provinces of the country. Traditional occupation of Bhoyars is agriculture. They are good cultivators and mostly grow sugarcane.
Gujjars in Mughal Era
Gujjars in the Mughal era enjoyed great power. Further their power increased with the decline of Aurangzeb, Mughal emperor.
Origin of Vaishnavism
Origin of Vaishnavism shares its attributes to many sources and religious evolution, dating back to pre-Vedic epoch.