Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Marīcī
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Read Next
Candles Burning On Table In Church
What Is the Most Widely Practiced Religion in the World?
Chinese dragon sculpture or statue.
10 Legendary Creatures from Around the World
Discover
Santa Claus flying in his sleigh, christmas, reindeer
Was Santa Claus a Real Person?
Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army
8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century
A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England
Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
A human Inuit skull in a stone chambered cairn in Ilulissat in Greenland. These ancient graves are pre christian and are at least 2000
14 Tough Questions Answered
Diverse elementary school children wearing school uniforms running outside of school. Boys girls
Pro and Con: School Uniforms
Los Angeles Police Department wanted flyer on Elizabeth Short, aka the "Black Dahlia," who was brutally murdered in January 1947. The FBI supported the Los Angeles Police Department in the case, including by identifying Short through her fingerprints that
America’s 5 Most Notorious Cold Cases (Including One You May Have Thought Was Already Solved)
Thanksgiving Celebration Traditional Dinner Setting Food Concept
Why Is Thanksgiving in the U.S. Celebrated on a Thursday?

Marīcī

Buddhist goddess
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Marici
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: ’Odzer-can-ma, Marishi-ten
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
Japanese:
Marishi-ten
Tibetan:
’Od-zer-can-ma
See all related content

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.