This eighteen-armed version of the goddess (devi) Durga originally stood on a pedestal upon which she vanquished the buffalo-demon Mahisha, trampling him with one foot while transfixing him with Shiva’s trident. This display of the victory of good over evil followed a battle in which Mahisha had defeated the male gods. In despair, they invited Durga to serve as their champion, each lending her a magical weapon. In killing the buffalo-demon, Durga liberated the universe from darkness. Durga is the supreme expression of the power of the devi, represented as “the unassailable, the unconquerable.”
