Marici Deva

Marici Deva’s Sanskrit name signifies ‘mirage’ or ‘radiant light’, and she is a Buddhist dharmapala (protector deity) who habitually travels before the Sun Deity, moving at a speed that spans immeasurable distances in a single day. Scriptural accounts describe her as possessing immense spiritual power and sovereign freedom—she can render herself invisible, making her undetectable, unknowable, unassailable, and immune to deception; thus she is revered as a supreme protector against calamity and harm. In ancient times, soldiers embarking on military campaigns frequently enshrined and invoked Marici Deva for safety; during the Song dynasty, troops commonly recited her mantra before battle. Her iconographic form features three faces and eight arms, with one face displaying a wrathful boar visage; her lotus pedestal rests upon a divine chariot pulled by seven golden pigs. The fusion of the pig motif with solar radiance symbolizes her power to dispel the darkness of ignorance and shatter spiritual obscurations.