Mae Thorani (Earth Goddess)

A statue of Mae Thorani protecting Buddha will be found in every Thai & Lao temple, sometimes beside or in front of the main Buddha image on the altar, or outside the viharn. She is also called upon as a witness during กรวดน้ำ gruat nam (lit. pour water), when people pour water into a container while chanting & then empty it onto the ground, to share the merit they have made with the deceased (during ceremonies for weddings, dead ancestors, ordinations, house blessings, etc).

The Earth Goddess is called to witness (also including the good deeds in the previous incarnations of the Buddha) during Buddha’s enlightenment. The Earth Goddess wrung her hair out with water that contained all the blessings from his many lives. This resulted in so many blessings that Mara and the demons were flooded and washed away. When the evil Mara sent his three daughters to seduce Buddha & then his army to stop Buddha from attaining enlightenment, the latter touched the ground (depicted as the 'calling the earth to witness' pose in statues) & Mae Thorani appeared. The water (representing the good merit accumulated by Buddha) she wrung from her hair caused a flood that drowned Mara's daughters & army.

Lao women all seem to have adopted her as their style icon - outside of the cities (& even within) it seems virtually impossible to find any Lao lady with short hair except for mae chee (nuns). Mae Thorani also appears in the logo of the Thai Democrat Party.