Matrikas (singular Matrika, Sanskrit: मातृका, IAST: mātṝkā, lit. “divine mother”) also called Matar or Matri, are a group of mother goddesses who are almost always depicted together in Hinduism. Often as seven (Saptamatrika) and sometimes eight (Ashtamatrikas) Matrikas are the personified powers of different Devas and combined power is understood to be embodied in the mother goddess Durga. Despite their alluring beauty, these Matrikas represent dangerous and malevolent forces—the devourers of children and bearers of sickness and disease. Although they were integral to early temple iconographic schema, as seen at sixth-century Aihole, their power was so threatening that they were soon marginalized, consigned to dedicated shrines beyond city boundaries. This figure shown here is one sculpture of a group of seven mother goddesses that sprang from an associated Hindu male god.
