Marīcī

Marīcī, in Mahāyāna Buddhist mythology, the goddess of the dawn. Marīcī (Sanskrit: “Ray of Light”) is usually shown riding on seven pigs and with three heads, one of which is that of a sow. In Tibet she is invoked at sunrise and, though not as popular a goddess as Tārā, has many shrines dedicated to her. Each of the abbesses of the convent of Samding (Bsam-l ding) on Lake Yamdok are said to be successive incarnations of Marīcī. She is also known in Tibet in several terrifying and hideous forms, with three or six heads and wearing ornaments of skulls.