Description
Khmer standing Durga Mahishasuramardini, Sandstone, Sambor Prei Kuk,
Pre-Angkor Period, style of Sambor Prei Kuk,
8th Century
Sandstone
Height 119cm, Width 45cm, Depth 23cm,
Description: This sculpture celebrates the goddess Durga’s victory over the demon-buffalo Mahishasura who is represented as a frontal mask on the base, an epic told in the ancient Indian Markandeya Purana and Matsya Purana. According to Indian mythology, Durga’s body was formed by the congealed fiery energies of all the male Hindu gods who had been enraged by their defeat at the hands of Mahisha, a demon that only a woman could vanquish. “Her face was formed from Shiva, her hair from Yama, her arms from Vishnu, and so on… Shiva gave her his trident, Vishnu gave her his chakra, Vayu his bow and arrows, and so on.
Note: the sculpture comes with the export permit.