Durg� Mahiṣ�suramardin� in Likely Tantric Buddhist Context from the Northern Indian Subcontinent to 11th-Century Bali

This study examines the significance of the originally Hindu goddess Durg� Mahiṣ�suramardin� (Durg� slaying the buffalo demon) in Tantric Buddhist temple contexts of the 8th-11th century in Afghanistan and northeastern India, and 11th-century Bali. Taking a cross-regional approach, it considers the genesis of Tantric Buddhism, its transmission to Indonesia, and its significance in Bali during the 10th-11th century. Drawing primarily on archaeological and iconographic evidence, it suggests that Durg� Mahiṣ�suramardin� is likely to have reached Bali as part of a late 10th-11th century phase of renewed transmission of Tantric Buddhism from the northeastern Indian subcontinent to Indonesia, following an initial late 7th-8th century phase.