This wood sculpture of Ashtadasha-bhuja Durga embodies the classical Shakta vision of the Goddess as a supreme; it represents Shakti that has just awakened.
A striking feature is the upward-surging tresses of Durga, carved with exceptional precision. This aligns with Durga’s role as svatantra shakti- autonomous power, Goddess in her sovereign, self-generating form. It also reflects urdhva gati, the vertical ascent of energy from the earthly to the cosmic realm.
In the Shakta tradition, the eighteen arms signify the collective force of the gods, each bearing a weapon or divine attribute bestowed upon Durga for the annihilation of adharma. Rising outward in rhythmic symmetry, these arms echo the upward surge of her flaming tresses, together forming a visual field of concentrated potency, evoking the goddess as Parashakti, the source of universal energy and her capacity to act simultaneously across multiple cosmic planes, with power manifested in every direction and every gesture.
The face of the goddess is modelled with remarkable restraint and refinement: almond-shaped eyes lowered in controlled serenity, softly arched brows, and a faint, inward smile that conveys both maternal grace and unassailable authority. This calm expression anchors the intense energy that radiates through the rest of the composition.
The lion, her vahana, is rendered with a roaring, alert expression, its parted jaws and tense musculature signifying unrestrained power. In Shakta iconography, the lion represents untamed power, courage, and sovereign command; here it becomes an extension of the Goddess’s will, embodying controlled ferocity under divine intelligence.
The presence of the tortoise (Kurma) carved upon the platform acquires particular significance within this iconography. As Durga manifests here as unbounded Shakti, Kurma signifies the cosmic foundation upon which supreme power is sustained and made operative. In classical Hindu cosmology, the tortoise is the bearer of the world; placed beneath the Goddess, it affirms Durga as the axial force of the universe, the stabilizing center through which cosmic order, continuity, and dharma are upheld.
Achieving such layered depth, symmetry, and fluidity in wood demands extraordinary mastery. The sculptor’s precision elevates this work from a devotional image to a testament of classical Indian sculptural intelligence.
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