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c. Mid- 20th century

The Goddess Durga Conquering the Buffalo Demon (Mahishasuramardini)

Artist/maker unknown

The great Jaganath (Krishna) Temple at Puri in the eastern state of Odisha (formerly Orissa) is the epicenter for the creation of a distinctive type of souvenir paintings of Hindu deities. Images of Durga are particularly popular during annual celebrations of this goddess. Here, in an ten-armed form, she stands under an elaborate archway resembling a local temple tower. A green Mahishasura emerges in human form from the decapitated body of the buffalo only to be ensnared by the goddess’s ropelike snake and attacked by her lion.

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