One of the most impressive and formidable goddesses of the Hindu pantheon-and one of the most popular-is the goddess Durga. Her primary mythological function is to combat demons who threaten the stability of the cosmos. In this role she is depicted as a great battle queen with many arms, each of which wields a weapon. She rides a fierce lion and is described as irresistible in battle. The demon she is most famous for defeating is Mahisa, the buffalo demon. Her most popular epithet is Mahisa-mardini, the slayer of Mahisa, and her most common iconographic representation shows her defeating Mahisa.
Durga keinem männlichen Gott zugeordnet. Sie kann vier Arme haben, acht, zehn oder zwanzig, manchmal auch achtzehn, was große Kraft (Shakti) symbolisiert. Auf der Stirn befindet sich das dritte Auge und sie reitet auf einem Löwen oder Tiger. In ihren zornvollen Manifestationen tritt sie als Kali oder Camunda auf. In ihren meist zehn Händen trägt sie verschiedene Symbole, die variieren können. Typisch sind Muschel, Diskus, Dreizack, Pfeil und Bogen, Schwert, Schild, Gebetskette, Glocke und Keule. Sie gilt als Mahadevi (Große Göttin) und Allmutter. Im Shaktismus stellt Durga die höchste Göttin dar, die alle anderen Götter überragt und eins ist mit dem Absoluten. Die Mädchen-Göttin in Nepal, die Kumari, gilt als eine Inkarnation der Durga. 
At a certain point in her history Durga becomes associated with the god Shiva as his wife. In this role Durga assumes domestic characteristics and is often identified with the goddess Parvati. She also takes on the role of mother in her later history. At her most important festival, Durga Pooja, she is shown flanked by four deities identified as her children: Karttikeya, Ganesh, Saraswati, and Lakshmi. It also seems clear that Durga has, or at least at some point in her,, history had, a close connection with the crops or with the fertility of vegetation. Her festival, which is held at harvest time, associates her with plants, and she also receives blood offerings, which may suggest the renourishment of her powers of fertility
Although several Vedic deities play central roles as demon slayers and warriors, no goddesses are cast in this function in Vedic literature. The name Durga is mentioned in Vedic literature, but no goddess resembling the warrior goddess of later Hinduism is to be found in these early texts. Around the fourth century A.D. images of Durga slaying a buffalo begin to become common throughout India. By the medieval period (after the sixth century) Durga has become a well-known and popularly worshiped deity. Her mythological deeds come to be told in many texts, and descriptions of and injunctions to undertake her autumnal worship are common in several late Upa-puranas.
Durga s historical origin seems to be among the indigenous non-Aryan cultures of India. In addition to there beings no similar goddesses among the deities of the Vedic tradition, many early references to Durga associate her with peripheral areas such as the Vindhya Mountains, tribal peoples such as the Sabaras, and non-Aryan habits such as drinking liquor and blood and eating meat. Although Durga becomes an establishment goddess in medieval Hinduism, protecting the cosmos from the threat of demons and guarding dharma like a female version of Vishnu, her roots seem to be among the tribal and peasant cultures of India, which eventually leavened the male-dominated Vedic pantheon with several goddesses associated with power, blood, and battle.
Hindu mythology includes several accounts of Durga s origin. She is sometimes said to arise from Vishnu as the power that makes him sleep or as his magical, creative power. In the Vishnu-purana Vishnu enlists her aid to help delude a demon king who is threatening the infant Krishna. In the Devi-mahatmya she comes to the aid of the god Brahma and ultimately of Vishnu himself when Brahma invokes her to leave the slumbering Vishnu so that Vishnu will awaken and fight the demons Madhu and Kaitabha. The Skanda-purana relates that once upon a time a demon named Durga threatened the world, Shiva requested Parvati to slay the demon. Parvatithen assumed the form of a warrior goddess and defeated the demon, who took the form of a buffalo. Thereafter, Parvati was known by the name Durga. A similar account of her origin occurs in myths relating her defeat of the demons Sumbha and Nisumbha. Durga emerges from Parvati in these accounts when Parvati sheds her outer sheath, which takes on an identity of its own as a warrior goddess.
The best-known account of Durga's origin, however, is told in connection with her defeat of the demon Mahisa After performing heroic austerities, Mahisa was granted the boon that he would be invincible to all opponents except a woman. He subsequently defeated the gods in battle and usurped their positions. The gods then assembled and, angry at the thought of Mahisa s triumph and their apparent inability to do anything about it, emitted their fiery energies. This great mass of light and strength congealed into the body of a beautiful woman, whose splendor spread through the universe. The parts of her body were formed from the male gods. Her face was formed from Shiva, her hair from Yama, her arms from Vishnu, and so on. Similarly, each of the male deities from whom she had been created gave her a weapon, Shiva gave her his trident, Vishnu gave her his cakra (a discus-like weapon), Vayu his bow and arrows, and so on. Equipped by the gods and supplied by the god Himalaya with a lion as her vehicle, Durga, the embodied strength of the gods, then roared mightily, causing the earth to shake.
The creation of the goddess Durga thus takes place in the context of a cosmic crisis precipitated by a demon whom the male gods are unable to subdue. She is created because the situation calls for a woman, a superior Warrior, a peculiar power possessed by the goddess with which the demon may be deluded, or a combination of all three. Invariably Durga defeats the demon handily, demonstrating both superior martial ability and superior power. On the battlefield she often creates female helpers from herself. The most famous of these are the goddess Kill and a group of ferocious deities known as the Matrkas (mothers), who usually number seven. These goddesses seem to embody Durga s fury and are wild, bloodthirsty, and particularly fierce. Durga does not create male helpers, and to my knowledge she does not fight with male allies Although she is created by the male gods and does their bidding and although she is observed and applauded by them, she (along with her female helpers and attendants) fights without direct male support against male demons-and she always wins.
The ninth avatars of Goddess Durga is Siddhidatri. There are eight Siddhis (Special powers which can only be attained from severe penance and meditation)-Anima, Mahima, Garima, Laghima, Prapti, Prakamya, Iishitva & Vashitva. Maha Shakti gives all these Siddhies. It is mentioned in the Devi Puran” that Lord Shiva got all these Siddhis by worshipping Maha Shakti.
With her gratitude, Lord Shiva’s body also contains the Goddess and so he has the form and name of Ardha Narishvar. Ardha means half. The goddess rides on a lion. The Siddhidatri form is worshipped by all gods, rishis, munis (Saints and Sages), siddhas, yogis, sadhakas (Devotees) for attaining merit and boons of their severe penances.
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| VIJAYAVADA DURGA DEVI |
At a certain point in her history Durga becomes associated with the god Shiva as his wife. In this role Durga assumes domestic characteristics and is often identified with the goddess Parvati. She also takes on the role of mother in her later history. At her most important festival, Durga Pooja, she is shown flanked by four deities identified as her children: Karttikeya, Ganesh, Saraswati, and Lakshmi. It also seems clear that Durga has, or at least at some point in her,, history had, a close connection with the crops or with the fertility of vegetation. Her festival, which is held at harvest time, associates her with plants, and she also receives blood offerings, which may suggest the renourishment of her powers of fertility
Durga s historical origin seems to be among the indigenous non-Aryan cultures of India. In addition to there beings no similar goddesses among the deities of the Vedic tradition, many early references to Durga associate her with peripheral areas such as the Vindhya Mountains, tribal peoples such as the Sabaras, and non-Aryan habits such as drinking liquor and blood and eating meat. Although Durga becomes an establishment goddess in medieval Hinduism, protecting the cosmos from the threat of demons and guarding dharma like a female version of Vishnu, her roots seem to be among the tribal and peasant cultures of India, which eventually leavened the male-dominated Vedic pantheon with several goddesses associated with power, blood, and battle.
The best-known account of Durga's origin, however, is told in connection with her defeat of the demon Mahisa After performing heroic austerities, Mahisa was granted the boon that he would be invincible to all opponents except a woman. He subsequently defeated the gods in battle and usurped their positions. The gods then assembled and, angry at the thought of Mahisa s triumph and their apparent inability to do anything about it, emitted their fiery energies. This great mass of light and strength congealed into the body of a beautiful woman, whose splendor spread through the universe. The parts of her body were formed from the male gods. Her face was formed from Shiva, her hair from Yama, her arms from Vishnu, and so on. Similarly, each of the male deities from whom she had been created gave her a weapon, Shiva gave her his trident, Vishnu gave her his cakra (a discus-like weapon), Vayu his bow and arrows, and so on. Equipped by the gods and supplied by the god Himalaya with a lion as her vehicle, Durga, the embodied strength of the gods, then roared mightily, causing the earth to shake.
With her gratitude, Lord Shiva’s body also contains the Goddess and so he has the form and name of Ardha Narishvar. Ardha means half. The goddess rides on a lion. The Siddhidatri form is worshipped by all gods, rishis, munis (Saints and Sages), siddhas, yogis, sadhakas (Devotees) for attaining merit and boons of their severe penances.
