“Ugra-Chandi”- the ferocious (Ugra) warrior goddess (Chandi) is the epithet used for the Hindu mother-goddess Durga in the temple town of Bhaktapur, Nepal where the Devi is worshipped in a mesmerizing eighteen-armed form, in her aspect as “Mahishasurmardini”- the slayer of demon Mahishasura. This brass Ugra Chandi Durga statue from Nepal is a reproduction of the great goddess's icon from the Darbaar Square at Bhaktapur.
Goddess in this Nepalese brass icon is framed by a distinctive aureole which is used in the Hindu-Buddhist art of Nepal valley. The aura is embellished with stylized fiery motifs that mirror the elegance of tapering floral vines. Devi Ugra-Chandi’s crown is also designed in the traditional idiom of Nepalese brass work, with two Dhwaja (flags) and an imposing aureole attached to the Mukuta (crown).
Devi’s otherworldly roopa (form) is adorned with ethnic jewelry and a striking Munda-Mala (garland of severed heads). A finely embellished dhoti (lower body garment) is wrapped around her slender waist forming delicate front folds and flowing in the tassels on the sides, which is smartly captured by the maker of this brass Ugra-Chandi statue.
In sixteen of her eighteen arms, the mother-goddess holds powerful weapons with a paradoxical elegance in her grip. In her primary right hand, Devi Ugra-Chandi has a khappar or bowl of blood and her left hand is in the "Bindu Mudra" the gesture of offering blood to a deity in Tantric rituals of Nepal.
Devi’s legs in this brass Ugra-Chandi icon are in the valiant “Pratya-alidha” posture, with her right leg slightly bent and left leg extended, one placed on the back of a crouching lion and the other on the chest of a defeated Mahishasura. The buffalo demon is about the emerge from the body of a water buffalo as he is slayed by the goddess, a popular legend which is marked here by the severed head of the buffalo placed on the exquisitely made upturned lotus pedestal.
This form of Ugra-Chandi was popularized under the Mallas of Nepal who worshipped her with great devotion. Later on, Devi Durga as Ugra-Chandi became the supreme protectress of the Nepal valley.
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