Durga - The Warrior Godess

Durga, also identified as Adi Parashakti, Devi, Shakti, Bhavani, Parvati, and by numerous other names, is a principal and popular form of Hindu goddess. She is the warrior goddess, whose mythology centers around combating evils and demonic forces that threaten peace, prosperity and dharma of the good. She is the fierce form of the protective mother goddess, willing to unleash her anger against wrong, violence for liberation and destruction to empower creation.

Durga is depicted in the Hindu pantheon as a goddess riding a lion or tiger, with many arms each carrying a weapon, often defeating the mythical buffalo demon.She appears in Indian texts as the wife of god Shiva, as another form of Parvati or mother goddess.

The word Durga (दुर्गा) literally means "impassable","inaccessible", "invincible, unassailable". It is related to the word Durg (दुर्ग) which means "fortress, something difficult to access, attain or pass". According to Monier Monier-Williams, Durga is derived from the roots dur (difficult) and gam (pass, go through).