Eastern Spirituality

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A character in the Ramayana, uncle of Ravana who transformed himself into a golden deer at the behest of Ravana to entice Sita.

In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Maricha, or Mareecha (IAST: Mārīca), Indonesian: Marica, Malay: Martanja, Tamil: Marichan, Thai: Mareet) is a rakshasa (demon), who is killed by Rama, the hero of the epic and an avatar of the god Vishnu. He is mentioned as an uncle of Ravana, the antagonist of the epic. His most notable exploit is his role in the kidnapping of Sita, Rama's wife.

Cursed to be a rakshasa along with his mother Tataka and brother Subahu, Maricha initially led his life terrorizing sages. He was defeated by Rama at the behest of the sage Vishvamitra. He tried again to kill Rama, but had to run for his life again. Ultimately, Maricha assumed the form of a golden deer and helped Ravana kidnap Sita.

Glossary Contents: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z