Phra Mae Thorani

Etymology

She is known by various names throughout Southeast Asia. In Khmer, she is known by her title Neang Konghing (នាង, lit. "lady princess"), or as Preah Thoroni (ព្រះធរណី) or Preah Mae Thoroni (ព្រះម៉ែធរណី; "Mother Earth Goddess"). In Burmese, she is known as Wathondare (ဝသုန္ဓရေ) or Wathondara (ဝသုန္ဓရာ) (from ) and variously transliterated as Wathundari, Wathundaye, Vasundari, etc. In Thai and other Tai languages, she is known as Thorani (from ) in various appellations, including Nang Thorani (นาง), Mae Thorani (แม่), and Phra Mae Thorani (พระ).

Iconography and symbology

Images of Preah Thorani are common in shrines and Buddhist temples of Burma, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. According to Buddhist myths, Phra Mae Thorani is personified as a young woman wringing the cool waters of detachment out of her hair to drown Mara, the demon sent to tempt Gautama Buddha as he meditated under the Bodhi Tree.

In Buddhism, most predominantly in the Pali Canon (but stretches throughout all schools and sects), Vasundhara (in the Pali Language) is categorized as a "Bhummatthika Devata" meaning "Earth Dwelling Deva". and in a modern sense, like other non-heavenly Devas, she is categorized as a Bhuta, a general Buddhist term for a coarse, primal, or non-heavenly Deva.

In temple murals, Phra Mae Thorani is often depicted with the Buddha in the mudra known as calling the earth to witness. The waters flowing forth from her long hair wash away the armies of Mara and symbolize the water of the bodhisattva's perfection of generosity (dāna paramī).

Calling the earth to witness

In the iconography of Gautama Buddha in Laos and Thailand, "touching the earth" mudra (Maravijaya Attitude) refers to the Buddha's pointing towards the earth to summon the Earth Goddess to come to his assistance in obtaining enlightenment by witnessing to his past good deeds.

Buddhist water libation

In Buddhism in Burma, the water ceremony (yay zet cha), which involves the ceremonial pouring of water from a glass into a vase, drop by drop, concludes most Buddhist ceremonies including donation celebrations and feasts. This ceremonial libation is done to share the accrued merit with all other living beings in all 31 planes of existence. While the water is poured, a confession of faith, called the hsu taung imaya dhammanu, is recited and led by the monks. Then, the merit is distributed by the donors, called ahmya wei, by saying Ahmya ahmya ahmya yu daw mu gya ba gon law three times, with the audience responding thadu, Pali for "well done." The earth goddess, known in Burmese as Wathondara (ဝသုန္ဒရာ) or Wathondare (ဝသုန္ဒရေ), is invoked to witness these meritorious deeds. Afterward, the libated water is poured on soil outside, to return the water to the goddess.

Modern use as a symbol

Phra Mae Thorani is featured in the logo of:

• The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority and Provincial Waterworks Authority of Thailand.
• The Democrat Party (Thailand) to emphasise the importance of earth and water for Thailand, together with the Pali proverb sachamwe amatta wacha (สจฺจํเว อมตา วาจา) "truth is indeed the undying word," to symbolise the values of the Party.

Gallery

Temptation_of_the_Buddha_with_Mara_and_his_daughters_and_the_demons_of_Mara_fleeing_Sanchi_Stupa_1_Northern_Gateway.jpg| Buddha during the battle with Mara, pointing towards the earth, summoning Phra Mae Thorani to come to his assistance from Sanchi. She is on the left hand and holding Kalasha. 094a Mara and his Army attack the Bodhisattva who calls the Earth to Witness (28727045626).jpg |Buddha during the battle with Mara pointing towards the earth, summoning Phra Mae Thorani to come to his assistance from Borobudur. She is on the left hand and holding Kalasha. 2016_Bangkok,_Dystrykt_Samphanthawong,Wat_Traimit_Witthayaram(13).jpg|Buddha during the battle with Mara pointing towards the earth, summoning Phra Mae Thorani to come to his assistance in Wat Traimit Battle with Mara.jpg |Painting in a Laotian wat. Buddha during the battle with Mara pointing towards the earth, summoning Phra Mae Thorani to come to his assistance Phra Mae Thorani 837.jpg|Phra Mae Thorani fountain, Bangkok Buddhaimage7.JPG|Calling the earth to witness Phra Mae Thorani 847.jpg|Wat Phnom Mural: Preah Thorani placing herself between the demons and Gautama Buddha Phra Mae Thorani wood carved statue in Wat Chetawan, Selangor.jpg|Wooden statue of Phra Mae Thorani in Wat Chetawan, Malaysia

Notes

References

Bibliography

• {{citation |title= A Study of the History and Cult of the Buddhist Earth Deity in Mainland Southeast Asia

References

1. Gravers, Mikael. (2012). "Waiting for a righteous ruler: The Karen royal imaginary in Thailand and Burma". National University of Singapore.
2. Headley, Robert K.. (1977). "Cambodian-English Dictionary". Catholic University Press.
3. Spiro, Melford E.. (1996). "Burmese supernaturalism". Transaction Publishers.
4. Spiro, Melford E.. (1982). "Buddhism and society: a great tradition and its Burmese vicissitudes". University of California Press.