Sculpted in clay and cast in Marble and Resin, although I am experimenting in other mediums to cast in. This is a plaque and stands about 22 inches tall.

Mahis (the s is pronounced sh in both Mahis and Siva), one of the Asura (an otherworldly being in Hindu mythology that westerners liken to a demon) was meditating to Siva. He did this for years with such dedication that he not only caught Siva's attention but also so impressed the god that Siva granted Mahis the power of invincibility against either man or god.
Mahis then gathered an army and then in the form of “the Buffalo Demon” invaded heaven. The gods fought strenuously and inflicted a vicious toll on Mahis’ army but were eventually ousted. The gods sought the help of Siva, who as always was so unconcerned with the world that he was unaware of their travails. He was angered that the Asura would so abuse the power that he gave him. He told the gods to release their Sakti’s. In the Hindu religion there are two forces, the Siva force and the Sakti force. The Siva force is the still everpresent force and is associated with the male. (This is different from most eastern philosophies which associate the still force with the female.) The Sakti is female and ever-moving. So in essence he was telling the gods to release their feminine side. Out of their third eyes came forth their Sakti’s and coalesced into the Durga. The gods then armed her with a weapon to be used against the demon.
The Durga then raised an army and went to meet Mahis. The army’s clashed and both the Durga and Mahis (as the Buffalo Demon) waded through the others armies wreaking havoc until they met each other. The Durga defeated Mahis who only escaped by changing form and fleeing. Three times in different forms she defeated him until finally she had him down on the ground spit upon her spear. As she prepared to behead him he begged a boon of her, that he would never be forgotton. She promised that he would always appear under her left foot.

The name "Durga" in Sanskrit means "invincible". The syllable "du" is synonymous with the 4 devils of poverty, sufferings, famine and evil habits. The "r" refers to diseases and the "ga" is the destroyer of sins, injustice, irreligion, cruelty and laziness.

The Durga was the first female deity in the Hindu pantheon and actually predated the Aryans in India. She is the only female Deity in the pantheon that doesn’t derive her power from a God consort.