Maravijaya attitude of Thailand Buddha

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Maravijaya Attitude, or Mara Vichai (Thai: Paang Mara Vichai), is an attitude of Buddha in Thai art that depicts a seated Buddha placing his hand in a relaxed posture towards the ground, loosely grasping his knee with it. His other hand rests on his lap. The Buddha's eyes look down to the ground, sometimes closed. The gesture of extending his hand towards the earth is called Bhumisparshamudra, which also refers to this attitude as well. This gesture alludes to an episode in which the Buddha summoned the earth to serve as a witness. The Maravijaya Attitude signifies the moment when the Buddha reached enlightenment and was disrupted by Mara's attempts to deter him. Learning that Mara demanded he give up, the Buddha touched the ground and called upon Phra Mae Thorani to aid him in battling Mara. Thoranee summoned vast amounts of water, which flooded away Mara. This episode led to the name Mara Vichai, meaning "Victory over Mara." Other Thai names for this attitude are Chana Mara (ชนะมาร; victory over the Mara) and Sadoung Mara (สะดุ้งมาร; making the Mara feared). The Maravijaya seated Buddha is considered a fundamental pose for the principle Buddha in ubosots of Burmese, Lao, and Thai Wats.