The universal mother goddess in this enlivened brass Durga icon is present in her most popular Simhavahini (rider of Simha or lion) Roopa, with her eight arms adding to her stateliness. A Sun shaped halo behind Devi’s queenly crown and large eyes bring an animated aesthetic quality to this brass idol, which is further enhanced by a symmetrical nose and interiorly smiling lips. Adorning her neck is a gold necklace with leaf-shaped accessories and a long necklace with a heart-shaped pendant. A finely delineated sari wraps the celestial physique of the goddess in this brass Durga icon and is clasped tastefully on her waist by a floral crested Kamarabanda (waistbelt). The delicate wavy folds of the sari can be appreciated near the mother-goddess’s legs, which are placed in the Lalitasana (posture of royal ease). Maa Durga in this brass murti displays powerful ayudha (weapons) such as Shankha (conch), Khadaga (sword), Chakra (discus), Agni (fire), Dhanush (bow), and Gada in her secondary hands. In her primary left hand, the mother goddess carries her distinctive attribute, the Trishula (trident) which is the most powerful armament of annihilation in the universe, while her right hand is raised in the “Abhaya-mudra” (gesture of fearlessness). With the paradox of safeguarding (for the devotee) and devastation (of the forces of evil) presented simultaneously, this brass icon perfectly captures the powers of Maa Durga. Sculpted to perfection, with its musculature and mane naturalistically defined, the Simha of Simhavahini Durga stands facing the onlooker, its powerful gaze piercing the mind mesmerizingly.
