43″ Great Quality Brass Durga On Her Lion Dawon

Large 43″ tall brass Bhavani Durga on her lion mount Dawon. Bhavani Durga is descripted Durga in her eight arms form. Her eight hands holds trishul (trident) from Lord Shiva, sudarshana chakra from Lord Vishnu, sword from Lord Brahma, conch shell from Lord Varuna, bow and arrow from Lord Parashurama, lotus flower from Lord Brahma, mace from Lord Vishnu and her right hand in abhaya mudra (gesture of fearlessness). A beautiful piece with great delicate work and nice two tone finish. Originally from India. Only one piece available.

Durga is one of the most important goddesses in Hinduism, regarded as a principal aspect of the supreme goddess. Associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars, her mythology centers around combating evils and demonic forces that threaten peace, dharma and cosmic order, representing the power of good over evil. Durga is seen as a motherly figure and often depicted as a warrior, riding a lion or tiger, with many arms each carrying a weapon and defeating demons.

The word Durga (दुर्गा) literally means “impassable, invincible, unassailable”. It is related to the word Durg (दुर्ग) which means “fortress, something difficult to defeat or pass”. She is best known as Mahishasura-mardini; for slaying Mahishasura—the buffalo demon who could only be killed by a woman. Durga is typically portrayed as an independent, unmarried warrior goddess. However, in traditions where she is identified with the goddess Parvati, she also acquires domestic attributes and is widely regarded as the consort of Shiva.

The historian Ramaprasad Chanda stated in 1916 that Durga evolved over time in the Indian subcontinent. A primitive form of Durga, according to Chanda, was the result of “syncretism of a mountain-goddess worshipped by the dwellers of the Himalaya and the Vindhyas”, a deity of the Abhiras conceptualised as a war-goddess. Durga then transformed into Kali as the personification of the all-destroying time.

Epigraphical evidence indicates that regardless of her origins, Durga is an ancient goddess. The 6th-century CE inscriptions in early Siddhamatrika script, such as at the Nagarjuni hill cave during the Maukhari era, already mention the legend of her victory over Mahishasura (buffalo-hybrid demon). Durga as a demon-slaying goddess was likely well established by the time the classic Hindu text called Devi Mahatmya was composed, which scholars variously estimate to between 400 and 600 CE.

Dimensions: 14″ x 40″ x 43″