The goddess Durga is an aspect of the magna mater, the great mother or goddess of Near Eastern cultures, and goes back to paleolithic times. Associated with fecundity and abundance, this goddess entered India with the Indo-Greeks, becoming a cult figure and the subject of many small stone icons in the Kushan period (first-third centuries). By the Gupta era (320-600) Durga was a supreme goddess to her devotees. She embodies sakti, the creative or cosmic energy underlying all of creation.
According to legend, Durga was created by the male gods of the Hindu pantheon, who formed her from the sum of their combined energies for the purpose of defending their tranquility, which was being threatened by the armies of the demon Mahisa. When confronted, Mahisa transformed himself into a buffalo, but Durga was not deceived; she kicked him to his knees, pierced him with her trident, and struck off his head as he tried to resume human form.
Here Mahisa encounters Durga with eight arms and numerous powerful weapons the gods gave her: a conch shell, bow, snake noose, axe, club, and mace. Although Indian representations of this battle are graphic, Javanese depictions are much less lurid. This sculpture lacks Durga's fierce companion and vehicle, the lion, and the buffalo is not mutilated, perhaps in acknowledgment of its essential role in Javanese culture, where it was indispensable in the cultivation of rice. The animal lies almost placidly under Durga's feet. Durga stands serene and graceful in her triumph as the cherubic demon emerges, gesturing with an upraised hand to ward off her wrath.
