According to Buddhist tradition, Mara tempted Siddhartha Gautama during his meditation before enlightenment.
Mara is a figure representing temptation, death, and forces that obstruct spiritual liberation. Buddhist narratives describe him trying to prevent Siddhartha from attaining awakening beneath the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya.
In traditional accounts, Mara is associated with armies of frightening beings, distractions, fear, and desire. He also challenges Siddhartha’s right to seek enlightenment, prompting Siddhartha to touch the earth as witness. This event is represented in Buddhist art by the bhumisparsha, or “earth-touching,” gesture.
Mara is sometimes described as a demon or deity, but he is not equivalent to the Christian devil. Buddhist interpretations may treat him as a mythological being, a personification of death, or a symbol of the inner obstacles that hinder awakening. The name can also refer to “death” or the forces of mortality in Buddhist texts.