Item: Durga (Hindu Deity)
| Origin Location | Nepal |
|---|---|
| Date Range | 1200 - 1299 |
| Lineages | Hindu |
| Material | Metal |
| Collection | Rubin Museum of Art |
Classification: Deity
The Warrior Goddess is the fearsome - demon destroying - form of the Daughter of the Himalayas, Parvati. Although she has many different origin myths associating her with different gods such as Brahma, Vishnu and Krishna, her relationship with Shiva and Parvati is popular in the Himalayan regions. According to chapter 38 of the Garuda Purana (10th-12th c.) Durga can have twenty-eight, eighteen, twelve, eight or four arms. Two lists of eighteen hand attributes are named in chapter 38 but neither of these lists accurately describe the eighteen armed Nepalese sculptures of Durga. Other forms of Durga with ten and six arms are also commonly found.
Jeff Watt 3-2005 [updated 6-2017]
Exhibition: From the Land of the Gods: Art of the Kathmandu Valley
Exhibition: RMA Masterworks, January 28th, 2021
Publications
HAR: Jeff Watt - Profile
Publication: Selection of Works - Sculpture (RMA)
Thematic Sets
Sculpture: Famous Works
Hindu Deity: Durga (Masterworks)
Subject: War, Conflict & Strife
Collection of Jourdan-Barry
Subject: Masterworks (Female Deity, 女性尊神, ལྷ་མོའི་ཚོགས།)
Subject: Universal Deities (Appearance)
Collection of RMA: Best of Collection 1
Collection of RMA: Selected Sculpture
Region: Nepal Main Page
Nepal: Early Malla Period Sculpture
Collection of RMA: Sculpture Masterworks Page
Sculpture: Style Names, Region & Artist
Hindu Religion Masterworks (Sculpture)
Collection of RMA: Best of Collection (Sculpture)
Collection of Rubin Museum of Art: Sculpture (Gallery 1)
RMA: How or Why an Object was Acquired
Collection of Rubin Museum (Nepalese Sculpture Masterworks)
Collection of Rubin Museum of Art: Nepal
Hindu Deity: Durga Main Page