Hindu Mythology, Vedic and Puranic

A black and white line engraving depicting the Hindu goddess Durga in her form as the slayer of the buffalo demon original: "Mahishasura Mardini". Durga stands centrally with ten arms, each holding a weapon, including a trident, sword, shield, bow, and arrow. She has one foot on her lion mount original: "vahana" and the other on the buffalo demon Mahishasura, who is shown in human form emerging from the neck of a decapitated buffalo. Durga is flanked by four other deities: to the left stand Lakshmi and a seated Ganesha original: "Ganesa" with his mouse mount; to the right stand Saraswati original: "Sarasvati" playing a lute original: "veena" and a seated Kartikeya with his peacock mount. Above them is an ornate arched frieze containing numerous celestial figures and animals, with a multi-armed deity, likely Shiva, at the top. Architectural pillars frame the entire scene.