The Ashtadasa Bhuja-dharini Durga is the true form of majestic Mahishasur Mardini complete with eighteen hands. She is the universal form of Shakti and is invoked in the second, third and fourth chapters of Sri Sri Chandi. Those who have listened to Mahalaya know that Durga takes the eighteen-armed form to slay the demon Mahishasur. This exquisite bronze statue is a perfect representation of the Ashtadasa Bhuja-dharini Durga. The base is a composite double lotus pedestal upon which the goddess stands, the served head of Mahishasura beneath her feet, and her lion mount standing placidly behind her.
Her eighteen hands hold a string of beads, mace, a battle-axe, arrow, lotus, bow, water-pot, cudgel, lasso, lance, sword, shield, conch, bell, trident, goblet and the sudarshan chakra. They are primarily weapons of annihilation that she carries in her many hands but they stand in stark contrast against the tranquil expression on her face. An expression that tells the world that the iconic battle that led to beheading of the demons is finished and peace has been returned to the world.
An image of the infinite limbs and the inexhaustible prowess of the Devi Durga. Upon the severed head of the divine mahisha (buffalo) She stands, Her hips jutting subtly at a lateral angle which serves to bring out the sharp waist-to-hip ratio of Her form. Her full-figured torso, overlain with breastband and necklaces, is flanked by eighteen (‘ashtadasha’) arms (‘bhuja’). A signature aspect of Her iconography, She wields in each of Her hands a divine implement with which to vanquish adharma. It is interesting to note that these weapons, gifted to Her by the devas of devaloka who birthed Her, are Her greatest shringar (adornment). Note the superb precision with which the lifelike musculature of those limbs has been sculpted, no mean feat when one considers how difficult bronze is to work with as a medium.
Durga, however, is no less in terms of beauty and vigour. Zoom in on Her gorgeous face and the handsomely pronounced jawline and the wide-set shoulders that tapers down to a superb waist. A tall crown that tapers like a templetop sits on Her brow, a hallmark of Southern workmanship. Behind it the mere outline of a halo with spikes, like the mightiest star of the heavens eclipsed by Her very presence. Her vahana, the lion, is a complement to the same. It is as ferocious and all-devouring as the Mahishasuramardini Herself, but in this murti their twin presence is characterised by tranquility.
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