Durga Frame

Durga is a fearsome, powerful and commanding Goddess who frees the oppressed and protects the innocent. Some say the word Durga comes from the Sanskrit word “Durg” which means “fortress”, while others claim that it is the combination of the words “Dur” which means “difficult” and “Gam” which mean “pass/go through”. Therefore, Durga literally means “impassable, invincible and unassailable”, owing to her ability to vanquish evil with righteous fury and defend peace. She is also known as Devi, Maa or Shakti as she is the epitome of divine feminine energy that confronts and defeats evil, and she symbolises protection, strength, and motherhood. Goddess Durga epitomizes assertiveness, ambition, authority and success. Often referred to as the warrior Goddess of strength, associated with destruction and war as her mythology centers around combating evils and demonic forces that threaten peace.

The Durga 3-D lightbox frame depicts one of the most popular legends associated with Shakti, when she defeated the demon buffalo king Mahishasura. Mahishasura was a half buffalo king who after years of severe penance to Brahma, the creator, was visited by Brahma himself. Mahishasura asked the God for immortality, but Brahma refused and said that all men must die eventually. After some thought he then asked Brahma for a boon to only be able to die at the hands of a woman. Drunk with power, believing that women were too weak and powerless to defeat him, he began torturing innocent people and captured the Svarga. Worried, the Devas consulted the Trimurti (Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu) to resolve this issue, so the Trimurti combined their powers, creating the sum of their divine energy, the Adi Shakti or Durga, a warrior woman with many arms. The Himavan, the personification of the Himalayas, gifted her a lion as her mount, while various other male Gods gifted her their weapons, to carry in her several pairs of hands to defeat the forces of evil. Goddess Durga appeared before Mahishasura, riding her lion mount, and as the demon king took on many forms to attack her, each time Shakti was able to destroy his form, until finally she defeated him with her trishul just as he transformed into a buffalo demon.

This famous legend is depicted in this frame through her powerful stance, standing her ground with a trishul in one hand, representing courage, and the other hand firmly placed on her hip. A stance of victory after defeating the evil buffalo king Mahishasura. Her immense power is contrasted by her facial expression which conveys calm, patience and composure, symbolizing Devi’s duality. The tranquil depiction of Goddess Durga’s face, in contrast to her portrayal amid a battle, emphasizes that while Devi is a protective and ferocious warrior, it is not because she is enjoys being violent or has hatred in her heart. Instead, she acts out of necessity, for the liberation of those that depend on her.  Behind her is a slain Mahishasura and her lion mount, which symbolizes the unlimited power that Devi possess and uses to protect virtue and destroy evil. Goddess Durga is often depicted with several pairs of arms, as seen in the background, each wielding a different weapon, given to her by various Gods to fight the forces of evil, cementing her reputation as the warrior Goddess. The red lights used in this frame also has deep symbolism with Goddess Durga as red is often associated with the Goddess because it represents powerful, divine energy, strength, and the fierce nature of Shakti. Red also signifies purity, a sign of passion and feminine power making it an auspicious colour in Sanatan Dharma.

The frame is made with 5 layers of craft paper cut-outs that are layered to create a 3-D depiction of Goddess Durga. It also includes red fairy lights which peek through the paper layers to create a magical contrast of lights and shadows that highlight the delicate details of the design. The layers are placed within a white box frame with a clear acrylic top.

Colour: White, black and red.

Size: 27cm x 22cm x 4,5cm