Durga as Slayer of the Buffalo Demon Mahishasura

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This eighteen-armed version of the goddess Durga originally stood on a pedestal upon which she vanquished the buffalo demon Mahishasura, trampling him with one foot while transfixing him with Shiva’s trident. This iconography is the supreme expression of the power of this goddess, “the Unassailable, the Unconquerable.”

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art