1844.] 



Account of Mamallaipur. 



31 



sura is represented with a buffalo's head and horns and a hu- 

 man body. He stands in a retiring attitude, resting on his 

 left foot, the right being advanced. His figure measures 7 

 feet 9 inches, not perpendicularly, but according to the posture 

 ii> which he stands. Above, below and behind Durga, may 

 be seen her attendant warriors, armed with swords and buck- 

 lers : and also two domestics, one with a switch of hair, such as 

 horsekeepers use, the other with a kittisal (or umbrella). Ma- 

 hishasura has a similar attendant also, Durga's attendants 

 are all dwarfish, corpulent figures ; those of Mahishasura 

 seem of more natural proportions. Durga appears the as- 

 sailant, Mahishasura on the defensive. Of three figures be- 

 tween the two principal personages, two are in active conflict, 

 and the third is falling headlong. One between the legs of 

 Mahishasura seems to have fallen ; and another of the same 

 party supports himself on his left hand, two fingers of the right 

 being held up to indicate discomfiture and alarm. The wholtJ 

 group is executed with much skill and ability, and evinces the 

 talent of the artist. The figure of Durga in particular is re- 

 presented with much spirit, and is graceful and easy. The 

 following from a paper by Mr. "Wilkin's in the 1st Vol. of the 

 Asiatic Researches, serves to illustrate the story. 61 The evil 

 " spirit Mahishasura, in the disguise of a buffalo as die name 

 u imports, had fought with Indra and his celestial bands for 

 " a hundred years, defeated him and usurped his throne : the 

 " story is to be found at length in a little book called Chandi. 

 " The vanquished spirits being banished the heavens, and 

 " doomed to wander the earth, after a while assemble, and re- 

 " solve to lay their grievances before Vishnu and Siva. Con- 

 " ducted by Brahma they repaired into the presence of those 

 " deities, who heard their complaint with compassion, and their 

 <( anger was so violent against Mahishasura, that a kind of flame 

 " issued from their mouths, and from the mouths of the rest of 

 i( the principal gods, of which was formed a goddess of inex- 

 " pressible beauty with ten arms, and each hand holding a dif- 

 " ferent weapon. This was a transfiguration of Bhavani, the 



