Durga
Goddess Durga is a principal form of Shakti described as a warrior goddess and a protective mother. Her name means “invincible and unassailable”. According to the legend, she was created by male gods with their power to slay the buffalo demon Mahisasura to restore peace. Durga is depicted riding on a lion and killing the buffalo demon by cutting off its head. She represents the collective energy (shakti) of several gods and hence shown with multiple arms holding the specific weapons of different gods. Durga is a predominant and the most beloved goddess in Hinduism and also considered as the supreme mother.
Iconography and forms
Durga is one of the most popular deities, and her iconography is flexible in different Hindu traditions. There are three main forms and several manifestations and depictions of the goddess. Following are the iconographies of the goddesses divided into different categories:
1. Simhavahini
The most mainstream depiction of Durga is Simhavahini, which means the one who rides the lion. She is shown seated on a lion (sometimes on a tiger) with two to twenty arms, carrying various attributes.
1.1 Ambika
Ambika is a popular form of Durga or Shakti, depicted as the nurturing mother. In Skanda Puran, she is emerged from the body of Parvati to slay the demons Shumbh and Nishumbh. She is shown with eight arms, holding multiple weapons and riding a tiger. She is popularly venerated as a household form of Durga throughout India.
2. Mahishamardini
The second and the most common depiction is Mahishamardini, where she is shown killing the demon, Mahishasura. She is usually shown with two to eighteen arms, with ten or eight-armed iconography being the most common. She holds various attributes such as a chakra, a conch shell, a bow, an arrow, a lotus, a sword, a spear, a trident, a shield, and a noose. Four armed figures of Mahishamardini became common from the late Kushana period onwards, where she is shown holding the snout, hind legs, or tail of the buffalo demon with one hand while the other three hands hold a trident, sword, and conch shell.
2.1 Mahishamardini Across Kalpas
In several Kalpas, Mahishamardini takes various forms to defeat Mahishasura, including Ugrachanda, Bhadrakali, Mahalakshmi, and Katyayani, as mentioned in books such as the Kalika Purana, and Mahakala Samhita. In Rambhakalpa, she portrays the 18-handed Ugrachanda, holding a śvetakhaḍga. In Nilalohitakalpa, she appears as the 16-handed Bhadrakali, wielding a śvetabāṇa. In Savarni Manvantar of Svetvarahakalpa, an 18-armed Mahalakshmi kills Mahishasura, while an eight-armed Mahishamardini comes in Swayambhu Mānavantar of Svetvarahakalpa. Finally, in the Vaivast Mānavatar of Shvetavarahakalpa, Mahishasura is slayed by calm 10-handed form as Katyayani.
1. Ugrachanda: Shown with eighteen arms, is accompanied by one crore Yoginis. Her hair is matted, and she has a serpent, a golden garland, and a mundamala around her neck. With large teeth, she wields a trident, sword, conch, discus, arrow, spear, thunderbolt, rod, shield, bow, noose, goad, bell, axe, and club. In her lower hands, she clutches a mace and a drinking bowl. Her complexion resembles crushed collyrium.
2. Bhadrakali: With a flax flower-like complexion, she wears molten gold ear earrings and three crescent-adorned crowns atop matted hair. Her outfit contained serpent and gold garlands. She carried a trident, sword, conch, discus, arrow, spear, thunderbolt, and rod on her right side, as well as shields, bow, noose, goad, bell, axe, and club on her left.
3. Mahalakshmi: In Devi Mahatmya, Mahalakshmi took the avatar of Durga to slay Mahishasura. She is described as having eighteen arms, holding a battle-axe, maze, arrow, thunderbolt, lotus, bow, water-pot, cudgel, lance, sword, shield, conch, bell, wine-cup, trident, noose and discus. She is often portrayed slaying Mahisaura.
4. Katyayani: Katyayani is one of the nine avatars of Durga. She is represented independently as a Mahisasuramardini with a golden complexion, an elegant countenance, and ten hands, whereas in the group with the other Nava Durga goddesses, she is shown with four arms and seated on a lion.
These three forms are venerated in the Sri Krama Tantra and Kalikula traditions. While these represent the prominent forms detailed in these revered texts, it's essential to acknowledge the vast array of Mahishamardini's incarnations recorded across various Kalpas.
3. Vishnu Durga
Also called Narayani, she is shown in a dark complexion with four to eight arms, standing on a lotus pedestal or on the severed head of a buffalo. Such iconography is more common in South India and exhibits her Vaishnava connection. She is shown with four arms, carrying the conch shell and chakra in her upper arms. Her other right hand is in the Abhaya mudra and the corresponding left-hand rests on her left thigh in the Katyavalambhita mudra. The Suprabhedagama and the Purvakaranagma, describe her with eight arms holding chakra, conch shell, trident, bow, khadga, pasha, khetaka, and arrow.
4. Ganesh Janani Durga
Ganesh Janani Durga is one of the five goddesses called Pancha Prakriti Devis mentioned in Devi Bhagavatam and Bramhavaivartha Purana. She is the representation of Durga as the mother of Ganesha to show the supremacy of motherhood and femininity as divinity.
5. Gunatrayivi Bhavani
Gunatrayivi Bhavani is a form of Durga with an uncommon description in the Bhrigu Samhita. The goddess has four arms holding the conch shell and chakra in her upper hands while her other hands are held in the Anjali mudra. She is the personification of the three Gunas; sattva, rajas, and tamas.
Navadurga
Durga appears in Hindu texts and folklore in numerous forms and names. Navadurga is a group of nine manifestations of the goddess Durga who are worshipped collectively. The names of goddesses vary in different texts.
According to Devi Mahatmyam and the Varaha Purana, the Navadurgas are as follows in sequence:
Shailaputri
She is the manifestation of Durga as the daughter of the mountain. She is depicted with a crescent moon on her forehead and two hands holding a trident and a lotus. Her mount is Nandi. She represents Durga's affiliation with Goddess Parvati.
Kushmanda
She is the goddess who produced the cosmic egg with her smile, bringing light to the universe. She is depicted with eight hands holding a discus, lotus, mace, bow, arrow, rosary, and two pots containing honey and blood. Her mount is a tiger.
Kalaratri
She is the violent form of Durga. She is depicted in dark skin with four hands, riding on a donkey. She carries a sword and iron hook in her left hands and her right hands are in Abhaya mudra and Varada mudra.
Brahmacharini
She is the one who seeks sacred knowledge. She is depicted wearing a white garment and with two hands holding a rosary and Kamandal in her right and left hand respectively.
Skandamata
She is the mother of Skanda (Kartikeya). She is depicted with four hands carrying lotuses in her upper two hands and child Kartikeya in the lower right hand and the remaining left hand in Abhaya mudra. Her mount is a lion.
Mahagauri
She is the form of Durga with a fair complexion and is considered the goddess of forgiveness. She has four arms, holding a Trident and a tambourine (Damaru) in one of her right and left hands respectively, and the remaining two hands in Abhaya mudra and Varada mudra. Her mount is a bull.
Chandraghanta
She is a fierce manifestation depicted with a crescent moon on her forehead. She is depicted with a golden complexion. She has ten hands holding a trident, mace, bow-arrow, sword, lotus, bell, and kamandal, while one of her remaining hands is in Abhaya mudra. Her mount is a tiger.
Katyayani
She is a fierce manifestation who slew Mahishasura. She is depicted with four hands carrying a lotus flower and sword in her left hands and her right hands in Abhaya mudra and Varada mudras. Her mount is a lion.
Siddhidhatri
She is the ninth form of the Goddess Durga, who provides Siddhi (spiritual power) to all her devotees. She is depicted seated on a lotus, with four hands holding a mace, chakram, a lotus flower, and a conch shell.
Images source: bharatiyajyotishmantrasaadhana. blogspot.com/2010/08/nava-durga-stuti-mantra-for- kundalini.html
Navadurga in Agni Purana
According to the Agni Purana, the Navadurga goddesses are Ugrachanda, Prachanda, Chandogra, Chandanayika, Chanda, Chandavathi, Chandarupa, Atichanda, and Rudrachanda. They are all regarded to be among Chandi's forms in Rambhākalpa.
The goddess Ugrachanda is represented with 18 arms. In her right hand, she carries a head, shield, mirror, index finger posture, bow, flag, drum, one sort of shield, and a rope/noose. In her left hand, she carries a spear, hammer, trident, thunderbolt, sword, goad, arrow, discus, and śalāka.
The other eight forms are Rudrachanda, Prachanda, Chandogra, Chandanayika, Chanda, Chandavati, Chandarupa, and Atichandika. They are 16-armed Durga, holding everything but the drum and the index position. These goddesses have a variety of skin tones: yellow like cow urine, red like the sun, black, blue, white, smoke-colored, yellow, and proper white.