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Mahisamardini Durga-Antiquity and Iconography Orissa Review * September-October - 2008 Mahisamardini Durga-Antiquity and Iconography C.B. Patel In India the antiquity of worship of the containing an inscription of the time of Mahisamardini Durga goes back to remote past. Meruvarman ruler of Chamba (8 Century A.D.) The original Devi-Mahatmya is excellent in composition. Section of the Brahmanda Here she is shown as uplifting Purana speaks of the various the hind part of Mahisa in the early forms of the Goddess, shape of a buffalo by holding such as Mahisamardini, the its tail with her front left hand Matrika and Chamunda etc. and piercing its neck with a T.A. Gopinath Rao has trisula by her front right hand, collected many other names & while trampling its neck with forms of the Deity alongwith her her right leg, holding a sword iconographical details from the and a bell in her back hands. agamas. Different literary The standing posture of the works describe various iconic goddess corresponds to the types of the deity. The Devimahatmya description of difference primarily lies in the Durga. We find similar number of hands and ayudhas representation of deity in an attributed to the Devi. In Orissa earlier relief carved on the we find Mahisamardini Durga façade of Chandragupta Cave images having two to twenty at Udayagiri (Bhilsa, Madhya arms with various ayudhas Pradesh) Here the deity is ranging form very early time interestingly twelve armed and to modern period. lively. But we don't find the The study of some early Ten armed Durga, Sisireswara Temple, representation of her mount relief of the deity indicates the Bhubaneswar lion. But later on we find developmental aspect of the iconic-motif. different representations of the Miniature stone-reliefs of two armed Durga fighting scene in the Mahabalipuran and Ellora engaged in war with Mahisasura un-earthed from panels. The Elllora specimen shows the eight Bhita by Sir John Marshal are attributed to the armed devi engaged in war riding her mount Gupta period. A four armed brass image lion.The intensity of the combat is excellently 1 Orissa Review * September-October - 2008 articulated. The Haripur image of Mayurbnhanj, The cult of Durga worship is thus wide Orissa shows the eight armed Durga in a more and varied both in space and time.Her most aggressive pose. Here the lion is also taking part common feature is that she has beautiful yellow in the battle. It is found in the Markandeya Puran complexion and her arms hold weapons to kill that Devi Durga was worshipped for the first time Mahisasura the buffalo demon signifying ignorance by king Suratha who was born in the Kshatriya and wickedness. She is called dasabhuja. She clan during the period of second Manu. With her rides a lion which is the king of beasts and killer blessings, he defeated the barbarian Kola of ferrocious animals. She is the supreme presiding princes.In the Ramayan it is described that Rama deity of the universe and killer of the Asura or worshipped her with one hundred and eighty evil forces.A menacing expression comes out of lotuses to defeat Ravana.Thus from Puranic and her gracious face as she is incarnated to kill the Ramayan days Durga worship was popular in danavas. She originated from the flames of India. Her incarnation in the form of Brahma, Visnu and Siva to kill the evil forces to Mahisamardini Durga was to kill the wicked establish the order of Dharma on earth. demon Mahisa and to save dharma on earth. Interestingly the idol of Durga took a long time The meaning of the word Durga is very for its develop-ment after undergoing a long complex. She is described as the presiding deity process of evolution.The earlier icons were just of an unexplorable region and saviour from crisis. in slabs of stone or wood. By gradual evolution In the Vedas she is described as Aranyani i.e.the animism, fetischism and symbolisms,the complex goddess of the forest.This reference is also found idolatry of Durga came into existence and the in the Chandi. Uma/Hemavati her another name devotees created the idols of their own is found in the Upanisad. There is also mention of imaginations.She had to pass through many phases Durga in Taittariya Aranyaka's Narayan Upanisad of civilization in order to attain the full iconic shape and in the Vaksakha of the Rig Veda. In the as we see today. Markandeya Purana there is a chapter called Devi In Orissa we find reflection of evolution of Mahatmya i.e 'the glories of the goddess. Here all types of Durga and Mahisamardini icons in she declares that Oh Gods, I shall nourish the sculptural represen tations. From a stratified whole world with life sustaining vegetables grown deposit Dr.N.K.Sahu has unearthed a two handed out of my own body during the heavy rains in Durga image in archer's pose from Maraguda mansoon I shall then earn fame as Sakambari i.e. valley of Nuapada district. There is an inscription "herb bearing." on the pedestal of the deity which reads as Historically Kautilya mentions Devi in his "Mahesvari Bhavada" Dr. Sahu has identified the Arthasastra as a spirit of vegetables in connection image as the family deity of the Nalas and has with sowing of seeds.From the earth goddess she attributed to 5th Century A.D. on palaeographic was later conceived as the war goddess for the ground. This is the earliest two handed Durga protection of her devotees.The evidence of image of Orissa recovered from a stratified deposit worship of Durga is also discernible in the with inscriptional reference. It is four feet high, Harappan civilization. During that period she was two armed and stands in alidha posture facing associated with Siva.In the Stone Age we also right while the lion at her feet faces left. From 6th find Durga as an ancient and prehistoric |7th century onwards we find representation of goddess.She is also represented as Kumari or Mahisamardhin Durga in most Siva and Sakta Virgin and associated with fertility cult. temples. 2 Orissa Review * September-October - 2008 The six armed Mahisamardini Durga image The twelve armed figure of Mahisamardini found in the Parasurameswar temple of Durga discovered at Dharmasala, Dist. Jajpur is Bhubaneswar dated to 6th/7th Century A.D. is now dated to 10th Century A.D. The deity is a beautiful figure of early Orissan art and pressing the head of the demon with force while iconographic tradition. From chest upward the the trident is piercing the neck. The sculptural deity is profusely decorated with beautiful head- representation is well modelled with symmetrical dress, karna kundala, mala and kankana. The bodily composition in typical Orissan art idiom.It deity is seen holding a sword in upper left hand is now housed in Orissa State Museum. while in the upper right hand she is pressing the At Dakshina Kali temple at Dia we find an face of the demon buffalo. In middle left hand she eighteen armed Mahisamardini Durga image. It is is piercing the trisula on the neck of the demon dated to 11th/12th Century A.D. The deity is while in lower left hand she holds a pointed looking ferocious and she is piercing the trident in ayudha. On the right middle hand she is holding a forceful manner in one of the upper left hand. The Khetaka while in the lower right hand she holds a demon has gushed forth in human form from the bow. The representation of Mahisa is pathetic, cut down neck of buffalo. In the sculpture, Mahisa being completely over powered by the powerful is found completely subdued we notice a twenty Durga. The stylistic and flamboyant exposition of armed Mahisamardini Durga figure at Salebhata the deity is marvelous. We have several such other in Bolangir district. The figure is slightly defacd. sculptural representations in Uttareswara temple But the vigour and heroic fervour of the deity is and Mohini temple. Vaital temple of Bhubaneswar vividly discernible. was a famous Sakta center. In this temple we find a rare eight armed Mahisamardini Durga References : figure killing demon Mahisa. The general 1. N.K. Sahu, Satavarsiki Smaranika Oriya, Khadial, composition of the sculptural representation is 1983. as Parasu-rameswar temple. 2. C.B. Patel, Dynastic History of Nalas, Punthi The ten armed figure of Mahisamardini Pustak, Calcutta, 1990. Durga found in Sisireswar temple of Bhubaneswar 3. S.K. Saraswati, A Survey of Indian Sculpture, New datable to 8th/9th Century A.D. is another art Delhi, 1975. work of the same school. Here we find buffalo- 4. T.A.Gopinath Rao, Elements of Hindu head of the demon being pressed by the deity Iconography (II Vols) Madras, 1914 and 1916. forcefully while the Trisula piercing the neck and 5. J.N. Banerji, Hindu Iconography, Calcutta. the demon in complete sub-jugation. 6. T.E. Donaldson, Tantra & Sakta Art of Orissa, Vol.II We find another twelve armed figure at & III, P.K. Print World, New Delhi, 2002. Kanakeswar temple of Kualo. It is dated to 9th 7. Sasanka Sekhar Panda, 'Durga Icons of the Upper Century A.D. Here the representation appears Mahanadi Valley of Orissa' Orissa Review, more linear.Another twelve armed figure is found Vol.XLV, No.3, 1988. in Kapotesvar temple of Nathuavara. Demon Mahisa is represented here in human form. While one of the upper left hands is piercing the trisula in the upper right hand the deity is holding tightly . the neck of the demon. , . 3.
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