This gilded sculpture tells the story of how the goddess Durga brought order to the universe.
Durga Killing the Buffalo Demon (Durga Mahisasuramardini), 12th–13th century, gilt copper alloy; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2005.16.11 (HAR 65433). Speakers: Dr. Elena Pakhoutova, Senior Curator, Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art and Dr. Beth Harris
Durga is a fierce warrior goddess in Hinduism, whose worship is widespread in the Kathmandu Valley, especially during the fall harvest when Durga rituals abound. The Rubin’s Senior Curator Dr. Elena Pakhoutova and Smarthistory’s Dr. Beth Harris illuminate the story of Durga killing the demigod Mahisha depicted in a dynamic gilded sculpture.
The Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art has teamed up with Smarthistory to bring you an “up-close” look at select objects from the Rubin’s preeminent collection of Himalayan art. Featuring conversations with senior curators and close-looking at art, this video series is an accessible introduction to the art and material culture of the Tibetan, Himalayan, and Inner Asian regions. Learn about the living traditions and art-making practices of the Himalayas from the past to today.
Images: Durga Killing the Buffalo Demon (Durga Mahisasuramardini); Nepal; 12th–13th century; gilt copper alloy; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2005.16.11
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0:00:05.4 Dr. Beth Harris: We’re in the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, and we’re looking at a remarkably beautiful sculpture. It tells a story about the power of a goddess.
0:00:14.2 Dr. Elena Pakhoutova: The story is well known in India, Nepal, and beyond. In Indian cosmology, there are gods, or deva, and demi-gods, or asura, who war with each other. Some asura are bent on destruction and chaos, and one such was Mahisha. He was very crafty and managed to trick God Brahma to grant him a boon by pretending to be a true ascetic. First he wanted to be immortal, but Brahma told him that all that is born also dies. Then Mahisha asked Brahma to make it so no god, beast, or man can kill him, and this boon was granted.
0:00:51.4 Dr. Beth Harris: And then Mahisha decided to make war against the gods.
0:00:55.0 Dr. Elena Pakhoutova: And he managed to drive gods from their own realm. Nothing worked, as no god nor man could kill him. Then the gods got together and merged their powers and Durga, the goddess who combined all of their powers, emerged. The gods gave Durga all of their weapons. And what is depicted here shows his defeat and Durga’s victory.
0:01:18.9 Dr. Beth Harris: So Durga has weapons with which to fight Mahisha and the demons that accompany him.
0:01:25.3 Dr. Elena Pakhoutova: And because she is not a god or a man or a beast, she in fact can defeat him. So what you see here is the goddess Durga standing in a powerful pose on the back of her lion and also on the back of a water buffalo. She just cut off the buffalo’s head and is pulling Mahisha, who transformed into a man hidden in the buffalo’s body, out of the buffalo’s body and plunging her trident into his chest.
0:01:57.4 Dr. Beth Harris: And we don’t see that trident anymore, that trident is missing, but we see her hand in that pose stabbing this figure that emerges from the buffalo. And we see the point of the trident in the figure’s chest.
0:02:11.9 Dr. Elena Pakhoutova: Mahisha’s two attendants are already struck by her weapons. You can see the weapons in their chest, a larger handle on the left, and a chakra disk on the right. The postures of these two lower figures on each side draw our eye to her figure in the center, and she’s at the summit of the upper part of this triangular composition. If you look at her body from the back, you can almost believe that it’s possible to have that many arms. They’re shown just like stop motion photography.
0:02:47.9 Dr. Beth Harris: This lovely pyramid composition, which we think of as a very stable form and yet all of this energy and movement at the top of the pyramid.
0:02:58.9 Dr. Elena Pakhoutova: She is very dynamic, but also poised. That the more you look, the more you see. These wonderful details of her lion’s mane and face, his tail raised up and the posture is moving forward and everything is captured in this moment of dynamic movement. Her skirt is decorated with these tiny incisions, and then the sash is cascading down. She’s adorned with earrings, armlets, bracelets, and her crown is decorated with precious stones. Some of the weapons are missing, but it does not detract from the impact that sculpture has on the viewers.
0:03:41.9 Dr. Beth Harris: This is made of a gilded copper alloy. Originally probably was much shinier and brighter, and we can see that the gilding has been worn away in some places, but there’s plenty of that gold left so we can imagine the way that she once radiated light.
0:04:01.6 Dr. Elena Pakhoutova: This gilded sculpture is a great example of lost wax casting technique perfected by metal sculptors of the Kathmandu Valley.
0:04:10.7 Dr. Beth Harris: Durga is also associated with an annual festival.
0:04:13.8 Dr. Elena Pakhoutova: The festival is called Mohani, the ninth day of an autumnal month. And in the Kathmandu Valley, both Hindu as well as Buddhist Newars worship the goddess during that festival when her militant skills and powers needed to protect the harvest.
0:04:34.0 Dr. Beth Harris: When I look at Durga and I hear the story of how none of the gods were able to defeat Mahisha and they create Durga and they each give her a weapon and Mahisha and his demons come at her, and she just defeats them one at a time, and ultimately slays Mahisha. She’s just the ultimate female superhero.
0:04:58.9 Dr. Elena Pakhoutova: She is greater than the sum of all the gods because she was the one who managed to defeat Mahisha and bring order to the universe.
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