Durga, Goddess who Slays the Buffalo Demon

Title: DurgaClose TooltipDurga[DOOR-guh]a major goddess of Hindu traditions. She is associated with strength, protection, and the slaying of demons., Goddess who Slays the Buffalo Demon

Type: Sculpture

Associated Religious Tradition: Hinduism

Origins

• Geography: Bangladesh
• Date: 12th century
• Period: Pala-Sena dynastyClose TooltipPala-Sena dynasty[PA-luh-SAY-nuh]the dynasty that ruled a kingdom that extended across what is now the Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh from 750 to 1204. (750–1204)

Physical Properties

• Material: Brass
• Dimensions: H × W × D: 15.7 × 10.1 × 8.2 cm (6 3/16 × 4 × 3 1/4 in)

Crediting Information

• Collection: National Museum of Asian Art Collection
• Credit Line: Gift of Dr. David R. Nalin
• Accession Number: S1992.46

The fifth-century CE Hindu text Devi Mahatmya relates the well-known narrative of Durga’s triumph over evil. Each of the gods tried but could not defeat the earth-threatening demon MahishaClose TooltipMahisha[ma-HEE-shuh]the powerful buffalo demon who is defeated by the goddess Durga., whose disguise was a water buffalo. Together, the gods created DurgaClose TooltipDurga[DOOR-guh]a major goddess of Hindu traditions. She is associated with strength, protection, and the slaying of demons., furnishing the goddess with weapons to use against him. Artists typically depict Durga at the moment she handily defeats the demon—seated or standing atop her lion with multiple arms fanned out, brandishing the weapons.

Durga’s tale expresses the superiority of the Great Goddess MahadeviClose TooltipMahadevi[MA-huh-DAY-vee]the Great Goddess, who has many different names and many different forms. over all the male gods. Mahadevi is the cosmic creator and the foremost divine power of the universe. While other goddesses can represent Mahadevi on earth, she often appears as the victorious Durga, whose wisdom on the cosmic battlefield is absolute.

Both BuddhismClose TooltipBuddhism[BOOD-hiz-uhm]a widespread Asian religion founded by the Historical Buddha in northern India in the fifth century BCE. and Hinduism flourished during the Pala-Sena dynastyClose TooltipPala-Sena dynasty[PA-luh-SAY-nuh]the dynasty that ruled a kingdom that extended across what is now the Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh from 750 to 1204. (750–1204), which was centered in today’s Indian state of West Bengal (in northeastern India) and the country of Bangladesh.

This sculpture was created in Bangladesh in the twelfth century. It depicts the fierce goddess DurgaClose TooltipDurga[DOOR-guh]a major goddess of Hindu traditions. She is associated with strength, protection, and the slaying of demons. defeating the demon MahishaClose TooltipMahisha[ma-HEE-shuh]the powerful buffalo demon who is defeated by the goddess Durga.. Durga, shown in her eighteen-armed form, holds symbols of power and divinity, including a bow and arrow, a sword, a shield, and a drum. The sculpture, made of brass (a soft metal), has weathered so it is no longer possible to identify all the objects she holds.

The sculpture depicts the goddess’s triumph over Mahisha. The buffalo’s decapitated head rests on the double-lotus base as the demon emerges from the animal’s neck. Durga forces Mahisha’s head back, preparing to finish him off with a trident (now missing from the sculpture). With her right foot, Durga pins the demon. Her left foot rests on her lion (the vehicle on which she travels), which bites the demon’s foot.

Finely detailed, fully realized in the round, and filled with energy, this brass sculpture is surprisingly small! Only about six inches in height, it was surely made for personal use and was probably placed in a home shrine. Worshiping the goddess would have included bathing the brass sculpture with auspicious liquids. Repeated over many years, the rituals weathered the object, smoothing over its details but giving us today a sense of lovingly attentive worship. The object also has traces of red and green pigments. These were likely added after the weathering had occurred and then cleaned off before the object was sold as an art object of historical and aesthetic significance.

Across India, DurgaClose TooltipDurga[DOOR-guh]a major goddess of Hindu traditions. She is associated with strength, protection, and the slaying of demons. is one of the most widely represented forms of MahadeviClose TooltipMahadevi[MA-huh-DAY-vee]the Great Goddess, who has many different names and many different forms.. She is seen in stone, bronze, wood, clay, and paint. Today, she also appears in films, television, and video games.

Every fall, the goddess’s victory and power are celebrated throughout India during a festival called NavaratriClose TooltipNavaratri[NA-vuh-RAA-tree]a holiday or festival lasting nine nights to celebrate Durga’s defeat of the buffalo demon Mahisha, representing the triumph of good over evil. (“Nine Nights”). Kolkata, in the Indian state of West Bengal, is the epicenter of the yearly Durga PujaClose TooltipDurga Puja[DOOR-guh POOJ-uh]a celebration in honor of the goddess Durga. festival that takes place during Navaratri, in which multiple neighborhood communities create pandals (portable shrines resembling parade floats that range from traditional iconography to contemporary architecture) for the goddess and her retinue. Artists create the goddess’s multiarmed images out of unfired clay, which are then painted and richly adorned before being placed within the pandals. Visiting the pandals is a major focus of Durga worship during the yearly festival.

In 2015, Durga made an appearance in the Disney Pixar animated short Sanjay’s Super Team. In the film, a child named Sanjay imagines Durga, ShivaClose TooltipShiva[SHI-vuh]one of the most important and widely revered Hindu deities., and HanumanClose TooltipHanuman[HA-noom-aan]a deity with the body of a monkey; a companion of the deity Rama and an exemplar of self-discipline and devotion. as superheroes. The animators portray Durga as a fierce warrior and protector. The film’s narrative connects the child’s interest in the superheroes of popular culture with his father’s devotion to the deities of their Hindu tradition.

1. How did the artist create a sense of a vigorous and exciting battle? Notice the goddess’s stance, the positions of her arms, and the sculptor’s use of negative space.
2. Who assists the goddess, and why? Hint: Who is biting the demon’s toe as he tries to slip out of the buffalo carcass and away from the goddess?
3. What expression does the goddess have on her face? Why might she be calm while fighting a demon so powerful that gods couldn’t kill him?

1. What is special or unique about Hindu goddesses among the pantheon of Hindu deities?
2. Why are festivals an important part of the religious and cultural lives of communities?
3. Why might home shrines be important to individuals and families?

Casey, Jane. Medieval Sculpture from Eastern India: Selections from the Nalin Collection. Livingston, NJ: Nalini International Publications, 1985.

Dehejia, Vidya. Indian Art. London: Phaidon, 1997.

Dehejia, Vidya, and Thomas Coburn. Devi: The Great Goddess: Female Divinity in South Asian Art. Exh. Cat. Munich: Prestel Verlag, 1999.

Huntington, Susan L., and John C. Huntington. Leaves from the BodhiClose Tooltipbodhi[BO-dee]literally, “awakening”; the emergence out of ignorance into a profound and complete understanding of the world. This leads to liberation from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, facilitating entry into nirvana. Tree: The Art of Pala India (8th–12th Centuries) and Its International Legacy. Dayton, OH: Dayton Art Institute with the University of Washington, 1990.

Menon, Arathi. “DurgaClose TooltipDurga[DOOR-guh]a major goddess of Hindu traditions. She is associated with strength, protection, and the slaying of demons. Slays the Buffalo Demon at Mamallapuram.” Smarthistory. https://smarthistory.org/durga-mahisha-mamallapuram/

UNESCO. “Durga PujaClose TooltipDurga Puja[DOOR-guh POOJ-uh]a celebration in honor of the goddess Durga. in Kolkata.” https://youtu.be/Az8SGiqk9-o?si=6WHahjQGjEpWIhy8