Differentiated by their complexions, the Nava Durga (Nine Durgas) are depicted in the center and eight petals of the central lotus of the mandala. They represent the nine manifestations of the Hindu goddess Durga. The violent (ugra-chanda) multiarmed form of Durga is depicted in the center. With one hand she grasps the Buffalo Demon, Mahishasura, and with another, drives her trident through his chest. The triangles formed by the corners of two superimposed squares contain sixteen representations of the Mother Goddesses (Matrikas). The outer circle of the mandala contains the Guardians of the Eight Directions (Ashta Dikpalas) seated in T-shaped gateways and flanked by a pair of goddesses. In the lower corners above the bottom register, and presumably also in the analogous locations in the now-lost upper corners, wrathful goddesses are flanked by animal-headed attendants. In the bottom register, a priest officiates at a sacrifice to the goddess in the lower left corner, musicians and dancers perform for the goddess in the center panel, and the donor with his family are seated in the lower right corner. The Nava Durga were worshipped by both the Hindus and Buddhists in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley. The same artists and workshops produced paintings for both religious groups. This is among the earliest Nepalese Hindu paintings on cloth known to have survived.

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