Durga and Mahishasura; Style of Har Jaimal; Pahari school; Nurpur, India; c. 1760; Opaque watercolour on paper; 19.2 x 27.6 cm. Victoria and Albert Museum, London

A shape-shifting figure in Hindu mythology, usually depicted with the head of a buffalo. He is associated with the Hindu goddess Durga as Mahishasurmardini, who slays him in various legends. From the Sanskrit words mahisha, meaning “buffalo,” and asura, referring to a class of antagonistic deities.