Buddha's victory over the temptations of Mara (the demon of illusion) is presented with a gesture of his hand downward toward the earth. An important incorporation of belief in animist spirit is the goddess of the earth. She is called to bear witness to the legitimacy of the enlightenment of the Buddha and to help vanquish Mara by wringing water from her hair. The water becomes a deluge great enough to wash away Mara's armies. The animist belief in spirits enchanting and affecting the natural world is deftly given a central role in Buddhist orthodoxy.
The goddess is a popular figurine of fountains in monastery courtyards throughout Southeast Asia.
