The Goddess Durga Slaying the Buffalo Demon (Mahisasura Mardini)
10th century
India (Rajasthan)

The multi-armed Durga tramples the slain buffalo with her raised leg while plunging her trident into the human form of the demon Mahisha seen emerging from the neck of the beast. Her vehicle, the lion, joins in the fight, mauling the buffalo from behind. In this celebratory icon, designed to occupy an exterior niche in a Hindu temple, Durga is honored by garland-bearing celestial attendants (gandharvas).

Image and text credit:
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art