Large sandstone fragment depicting the Hindu deity Durga slaying the buffalo demon Mahisasura with a spear. Sculpture of exceptional impact, dominated by the threatening head of the buffalo on which the feet of the goddess rest. The fragment was certainly part of a large Templar sculpture devoted the cult of Durga, one of the major deities of the Hindu pantheon and it is likely that the iconografy of this sculpture closely follows a recurring pattern prescribing the goddess standing in samapada position, and equipped with four arms, two hands close to the hips and two facing upward, one with a lotus flower and the other with the Shankha shell.
The figure of Durga first appeared in ancient times. Early depictions are connected to some seals Indus valley seals dating back to the 4th millennium BC. The worship of Durga is connected to the Shakti, or the eternal feminine of supernatural reality, anchored on the theme of the spiritual battle against the evil demon of ignorance Mahisasura. This episode is often depicted in its most dramatic and final moment of the clash, when the evil demon, transformed into a mighty bull, is finally successfully overwhelmed and defeated by the goddess.