Mahishamardini Panels at Yelandur and Somanathapura, Karnataka

07^th December 2017.

The story of Mahishamardini is very famous in Hindu mythology. The tenth day of Durga pooja is being celebrated as Vijayadasami in a grand manner throughout India. The legend of Mahishamardini goes like this.

Mahisha, a demon,  human body with a buffalo head,  was born to the asura king Rambha and a female buffalo called Syamala. Mahisha has the magical power of taking the form of a buffalo or a human according to his wish. After 1000 years of penance he got a boon from Brahma that, he cannot be killed by a man.

With his magical powers, he conquered the earth and Deva Loka. Could not bear the torture of Mahisha, Devas prayed to Lord Vishnu for a solution. The Trimurtis Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva created Goddess Durga with ten arms. With weapons like Chakra, Trisul, arrows, scepter, axe, sword, Kamandal, etc, given by Gods and Devas along with her Vahana Lion, Durga killed Mahisha after 10 days of fierce fighting. Hence the tenth of Durga pooja is being celebrated as Vijayadasami. Dussehra celebration is famous in the Mysore region of Karnataka.

YELANDUR ( SRI GAURISVARA TEMPLE )

The tenth-day battle of Durga is chiseled as reliefs and statues. Durga is shown with 4, 8, and 10 arms holding various weapons. During our visit to Yelandur Sri Gaurisvara temple, had seen a Durga Statue along with Shiva, Vishnu, and Veerabhadra inside the sanctum.

There is also a Mahishamardini panel beautifully chiseled on the Mahadwara mandapa of 16th Century Vijayanagar Period. The facial expression of Durga, the fear on the faces of Mahisha, and the asuras are clearly shown. Though it may not be like the Mamallapuram panel, this is very unique.

  The trishul piercing through the head of Mahisha

 The trishul piercing through the head of Mahisha and the sword on the other asura

 The arrow pierced through the bodies of two asuras and their facial expressions with fear and pain.

Mahishamardini statue with 4 hands

SOMANATHAPURA ( SRI CHENNAKESAVA TEMPLE )

This 13th Century Hoysala period soapstone Mahishamardini statue is a part of the 16-faced Janarthana shrine of Sri Chennakesava Temple at Somanathapura, Karnataka. In this Mahishamardini is shown with 8 hands and kills Mahisha with trisul. Mahisha’s intestine came out of his stomach is also clearly shown. The Vahana lion is also doing its share by killing an asura. The facial expressions of Durga and Asuras are beautifully shown.

 Mahishamardini with 8 hands

 The Trisul pierced through the stomach and the intestine of Mahisha, which came out. 

 Durga’s Sword pierces  through the body of a demon  

The Lion also kills an aura

---OM SHIVAYA NAMA---