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Durga, one of the most eminent goddesses of theHindu pantheon, emerged as a formidable warriordeity to protect the universe from the destructionpower of the demons. Her popularity as theMahadevi or Mahasuri never receded even afterthe lapse of thousands ofyears. In the course of herrise to a pre- eminentposition in the Hindupantheon, hermanifestations for specificpurposes, thus, earned anabiding popularity in theHindu world. The origin ofDurga is as mysterous asher rise to the mostprominent position. In theprimitive societies the entireculture centered round themother, who was symbolof generation and the actualproducer of life. At thedawn of social evolutionmaternity was held in high esteem, the mother beingthe central figure of religion. (N.N. Bhattacharya,History of the Sakta religion, New Delhi, 1971,pp.1-20). In the view of John Marshall, Sakti cultevolved in India out of the so-called Mother

Goddess Cult, closely associated with the cult ofthe so-called Proto-Siva. Siva and Sakti, the dualdeities, were, the Principal deities of the non-Aryanpeople of the Indus Valley Civilization. (JohnMarshall, ed., Mahenjo-daro and the Indus Valley

Civilization, London, 1931,vol. 1, p. 107). ThisMother Goddess of thematriarchal society formedthe nucleus of the Saktaprinciple in Pre- Vedictimes. (V. Mishra,Mahisamardini, New Delhi,1984, p.1)

From the Vedicperiod onwards there is anample reference of goddessDurga in various forms. Inthe Khilaratrisukta, Durgais stated to have threeimportant manifestations:Mahakali, Mahalaxmi andMahasaraswati. (Rigveda

Samhita, ed., Satvalekar, Ajmer, 1940, x. 127)In the Upanishad the concept of Brahman isassociated with that of Sakti. The Devi Upanisadarelates the personifications of Sakti-Durga,Mahalaxmi, Saraswati and Vaisnavi- as

Simhavahini Durga in Temple Art of Odisha

Dr. Janmejay Choudhury

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Brahmaswarupini. Durga is depicted asMahavidya Viswarupini, refulgent like the morningSun. She is the goddess of nationality. She is theunborn, infinite, incomprehensible personificationof the whole universe. She is Durga, beyond herthere is nothing? (P. Kumar; Sakti Cult in AncientIndia, Varanasi, 1974, p. 44). The SaktaUpanisada enhanced the status of the Devi in aphilosophical garb.

In the Mahabharata, the name Durga ismentioned along with the names of differentgoddesses in a hymn addressed by Arjun in theform of a prayer to the goddesses Kumai, Kali,Kapali, Karali, Bhadrakali, Mahakali, Chandi,Chanda, Tarini, Katyayini, Krisna, Durga etc. whoare depicted as adorned with jewels and differentweapons. She is depicted as four-faced, fourarmed and holding a noose, bow, arrow and diskin her hand. (Mahabharata, ed., Satvalekar,Bombay, 1940, IV. 6. 17-19) In the othercontexts in the epics Durga is said to beworshipped by the Savaras, Barbaras andPulindas. She is also described as Aparna,Nagnasavari and Parnasavari- the leaf-cladsavara women. An amalgamation of Arya andnon-Aryan elements is thus, found in the characterof the goddess. In the Harivamsa the nameVindhyavasini is very popular. She is describedas pervading the whole universe, in appearancehaving eighteen arms, decorated with the variousornaments, clothes, headgear and garlands,propitiated by the thieves and robbers for herfavour. (Harivansa Purana, Gita press,Gorakhapur, Vishnu Purana 109, 50-52)Goddess Durga, originally associated withmountains, hill tribes, thieves and robbers, creptat a certain stage of religious development intothe Aryan culture. Both non-Aryan and Aryan

elements, mixed together, elevated the status ofMahadevi Durga.

In the Puranas, Durga was raised to thehighest position in the pantheon. The DeviMahatmya section of the Markendeya Puranaconceives Mahisamardini Durga as a full-fledgedwarrior goddess in the form of Chandi orChandika. Born out of the consolidated andrefulgent energies of the gods, her countenancedazzling like thousands of Sons, she pervades thethree worlds even forcing the gods themselves tobow down as a mark of respect to the all powerfulGoddess. Fully equipped with weapons donatedto her by the gods, she gave out an exceedinglyfrightful war-cry, engaged the demons and theirleaders in terrific battles, vanish them and finallyoverpowered the Asura Mahisa, piercing his bodywith the trident when the demon came out of thedecapitated carcass of the buffalo. So GoddessDurga became Mahisamardini. The story ofDurga’s combat with the Asura Mahisa, resultingin latter’s final annihilation, was recorded inseveral other Puranas and Upapuranas whichfurther popularized this mythic event by giving avariety of names to the Mahadevi. The MatsyaPurana, Varaha Purana, Vamana Purana, DeviBhagabat Purana, Skanda Purana, Kalika PuranaPadma Purana etc., recorded this story byinterpolating interesting anecdotes, thus, furtherhighlighting the greatness of the Mahadevi. Shewas given numerous names by different Puranas,so many that, in course of time, the nomenclatureof Durga consisted of one hundred-eight or eventhousands epithets. However, the Devi Mahatmyarelates three important exploits of Durga inconnection with the protection of the cosmos andof dharma from the terrible menace coming fromthe demons. They are, in a succession; (a) thebattle with Madhu-Kaibata; (b) the combat with

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Mahisasura; (c) the battle with Sumbha-Nisumbha, Chanda-Munda, Raktabirja and theirhosts. The Devi-Mahatmya receives Durga as afemale incarnation. Like Visnu, the great Goddesscreates, maintains and destroys the world,intervenes when there is disorder, and isapproached by the male gods in time of severedistress. Her appearance as Durga to redeem theworld from the clutches of the demons conformsto the Brahmanical theology of incarnation. (D.Kinsley, Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the DivineFeminine in the Hindu Religion Tradition, Delhi,1989, pp. 101-102) Durga’s more intimateconnection with Visnu is more perceptible in theMadhu-Kaitab episode. When the whole worldwas tortured by the two demons, Brahma invokedthe Maya Sakta of Visnu, who was sleeping onthe serpent Sesa Naga resting upon the CosmicOcean. Having been pleased at the prayer ofBrahma, the Devi became active and awakenedVisnu- whom She, in Her aspect as Yoganidra,was keeping asleep in a sleep of reintegrationduring the great Cosmic night – in order that hemight be ready for the battle against the twodemons, who were immediately annihilated byVisnu. The Maya-Sakti of Visnu is invoked in thisepisode of the Devi-Mahatmya in different namessuch as Mahamaya, Yoganidra, Mahavidya,Mahamedha, Mahasuri, Mahadevi, Kalaratri etc.( T.B. Coburn, Encountering the Goddess: ATranslation of the Devi Mahatmya and a Study ofIts Interpretation, Albany, 1991) In theMahisasura episode, the Devi is more connectedwith Siva than with Visnu. Durga, indeed, finallyslays the buffalo-demon with the trident, that is,the most characteristic among Siva’s weapons.In the Sumbha-Nisumbha episode, on thecontrary, she appears as an independentincarnation. In her independent form the Devi is

conceived as the supreme Brahman pervading thewhole universe. All gods and goddesses are Hercreation. She is alone in the universe; no one issecond to her. The independent character of theDevi is more clearly marked in her manifestationas Chandi, the ruthless slayer of demons, than inher manifestation as Visnu-Maya.

In the Sakta iconography of OdishaGoddess Durga, when not represented asMahisamardini, is generally depicted as seated inlalitasana on a throne with the lion placed belowit, apart from a few images in which she is depictedin a standing pose. This made of sculpturalrepresentation of Durga, in which she is calledSimhavahini. This image is not met with in Odishantemples much less frequently than Mahisamardiniones. The earliest images of Simhavahini Durgain Odisha are respectively found on the Vimanasof Parasuremeswara temple and of the Vaitaltemple at Bhubaneswar. During the Bhaumakaraepoch the images of Simhabasini Durga was ofteninstalled in a subsidiary structure erected for thisspecific purpose in the compound of a Saivatemple. Most of the images of Simhavahini Durgaassigned to the Bhumakara period are eight armedand lay stress on the aspect of the Devi as a war-goddess by depicting Her with the same weaponstraditionally wielded by Mahisamardini Durga. Thegoddess is usually seated on a double lotus cushionin lalitasana, Her right leg pendent, while the lioncrouches down below Her seat. In most cases,her major right hand displays Varada while theother hands hold a sword, disk, trident, shield,stringed-bow, arrow, goad for driving elephants,rosary, bell, conch and vase. The finest Odihsanspecimens of this sub-class Simhabahini imagesare to be found at Sukleswar and Khiching. Afour-armed example of Durga seated on lion,assignable to about ninth-tenth centuries A.D. and

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holding a rosary, sword, trident and lotus, ispresently affixed to one of the outer walls of thetemple of Khajureswar at Shergarh of Baleswardistrict. A rare type of Simhavahini image, datingfrom about the 11th century A. D. is activelyworshipped as Chandi in the village of Kaupur inBaleswar district, which during the Bhaumakaraand Somavamsi periods was a flourishing centreof art and religions. Two other nicely carvedSimhavahini images, both dating from theSomavamsi period are noticed in the temples ofBhubaneswar. A miniature shrine is placed to thenorth of Mukteswar temple (10th century A.D.),the goddess, seated in Padmasana, is eight-armedwith most of Her attributes, as well as the head,now missing. The second is carved in a side nicheof the temple of Brahmeswar (11th century A.D.),the goddess, gracefully seated in Lalitasana, isfour-armed, her head, once again, missing.

In Indian thought the lion is consideredto be an animal full of Sakti (Power) and ofrhythmic movement. It represents sacred powerin general and, more particularly, the mighty powerof wild beasts. The image of this animal,expressing a sense of rhythm, is thought to bemade up of Prakriti-Maya-Sakti. Therefore, thelion partakes in the divine essence of the greatGoddess, the transforming energy of the universe.The image of Durga seated on lion appeared at avery early stage of the art development in Odishaand continued to flourish all through the medievalperiod.

Dr. Janmejay Choudhury, Lecturer in History,

Sri Jagannath College, Kaipadar, Khurda.