Durga

Durga is the great Hindu Mother Goddess, the mistress of life and death. In this version, she is shown as the triumphant conqueror of the buffalo demon, who had attacked the Hindu gods. Though she is dressed in sumptuous jewelry and diaphanous clothes, fitting for a fertility goddess, her multiple arms hold weapons and a severed head, to indicate her warlike prowess. Her serene expression indicates how effortlessly she reestablishes order among the gods. The Hindu creator god Brahma appears at the lower left.