Eight armed Durga slaying the demon Mahisha. Dieng Plateau, Wonosobo district, Central Java province 9th- 10th century Possibly 1864 - 1867

This photograph documents a stone sculpture of Durga slaying the demon Mahisha, created in Central Java, Indonesia, around the 9th or 10th century. Durga, a powerful warrior goddess in Hinduism, is depicted here with eight arms, each wielding a different weapon to defeat the buffalo demon, Mahisha. Images of Durga such as this played a vital social role in ancient Javanese society. The sculpture reflects the fusion of Hindu-Buddhist beliefs with indigenous Javanese spirituality, a hallmark of the Medang Kingdom, which once ruled this region. The figure of Durga embodies not only divine power but also the strength and resilience necessary to overcome adversity, reflecting broader social anxieties and aspirations of the time. By studying archaeological records, religious texts, and colonial-era accounts, we gain insights into the ways in which such images of the divine served to legitimize power structures.