The god Durga
The god Durga
The god Durga
Durga is one of the forms in which Shakti, the mother goddess appeared at the call of the gods to fight the demon buffalo Mahisha.
She's a warrior. She wears a red sari symbolizing the action and destruction of the demons. She has several arms because the gods have each given her a weapon to fight: the Vishnu disc; the spear of Kumara; the bow and arrow of Surya, the god of the sun; the ax of Chandra, the god of the moon; a mass of Yama, the god of death; the ax of Agni, the god of fire; the conch of Vayu, the god of the wind; the trident of Shiva.
So armed, she set out to kill Mahisha by riding a lion. It is often represented with eight arms.
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