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A colorfully painted statue of demon Mahishasura is an iconic image in Mysore tourism is one of the major attractions of Chamundi Hills which is located about 3,489ft. from the sea level, 13 km from Mysore city in Karnataka State, India. This majestic statue of Mahishasura is shown holding a cobra in his left hand and a sword in his right hand. This statue is said to be built during the reign of Dodda Devaraja Wodeyar when the steps to the hills were also constructed.

According to the legend, Mahishasura was the king of Mysore. Mysore is really named after a demon—Mahisha Asura. Originally, the city was known as “Mahishuru,” which means “Mahisha’s City.” Gradually, it came to be called Mysuru, which was later Anglicized to Mysore.

Mahisha is Sanskrit for “buffalo” and an asura is a type of demon. Mahisha Asura was a demon who could switch back and forth between human and buffalo form. It is said that he was the son of an asura king named Rambha who consummated his love with a buffalo. The resulting child, Mahisha Asura, was a changeling who could shape-shift from human to Buffalo and back again, as well as into other bestial forms. He terrorized the devas (demigods), and thus they pleaded with the Trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva to help them. Because Mahisasura was blessed with a boon that prevented him from being killed by a man, Devi came forth to set things right.

In fact, Mahisha was so overwhelmed with Devi’s beauty that he wanted to marry her, but Devi was not interested. She only wanted his blood in battle. Armed with the weaponry of the Trimurti and riding a lion, Devi single-handedly destroyed all of Mahisha Asura’s minions and finally, after an epic battle, cut off his head.

The Puranas are full of different versions of this story. Devi has thousands of names, and so do the demons she comes down to destroy. You will find these in the “Devi Mahatmya” from Markandeya Purana, the “Lalita Sahasranama” of Brahmanda Purana, the Devi Bhagavatam and many other sources. One of the most beautiful versions of the slaying of Mahishasura comes from Adi Shankaracharya’s “Mahishasura Mardini Stotram.”

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