Goddess Shield Circa 1850 to 1860

Udaipur (Mewar), Rajasthan. Runjeet Singh wrote : Around the circumference of this extraordinary shield sits eight Devi incarnations and Durga, the warrior goddess. This group is known as the Matrikas: mother goddesses who are all different forms of Parvati, the goddess of power. According to a later episode of the Devi Mahatmya that deals with the killing of the demon Raktabija, Durga created the Matrikas from herself and, with their help, slaughtered the demon army. When the demon Shumbha challenged Durga to single combat, she absorbed the Matrikas into herself.