[4] His name is first mentioned in the Atharva Veda (1200 BCE–1000 BCE) as Mrtyu and Agha Mara, the evil slayer.
He is called the "evil one who kills" and "Papiyan", denoting a being which is not only morally bad but intertwined with sorrow, pain and misfortune.
In certain Sri Lankan traditions, the mount of Mara is said to be Girimekhala, a gargantuan elephant with black hide, and reaching 250 yojana in height.
[16] Mara's three daughters are identified as Taṇhā (Thirst), Arati (Aversion, Discontentment), and Rāga (Attachment, Desire, Greed, Passion).
[19] The Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp and the Denkoroku both contain a story of Mara's conversion to Buddhism under the auspices of the monk Upagupta.
Upagupta reciprocated by transforming the corpses of a man, a dog, and a snake into a garland and gifted it to Mara.
Brahma informed him that because the necklace was bestowed by an advanced disciple of the Buddha, its effects could only be assuaged by taking refuge in Upagupta.
Hajun is portrayed as being tall and muscular with long lilac hair, two gigantic red buffalo-shaped horns protruding from each side of his head, and several spike-like seemingly bones protruding from his forearms and his shoulders with intricate tattoos.
He also has a prominent hole marking on the left side his chest and wears a giant patterned loincloth.