Durga destroying the titan Mahisha
About 900
Bronze
H. 8 1/8 x W. 4 1/2 x D. 1 1/4 in.
The Art Institute of Chicago, The James W. Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, 217.1997

This bronze rendering of the Hindu goddess Durga depicts her in the process of vanquishing the Buffalo Demon Mahisha. Durga is the warrior manifestation of Devi, the Great Goddess figure in Hinduism that represents shakti or female power. The sculpture is based on a popular story narrated in the Markandaya Purana, in which Durga subjugates Mahisha in an epic battle lasting nine days while Mahisha assumes the forms of many powerful beasts.