One of the Mahavidyas (a group of 10 strong goddesses) and a significant deity in the esoteric ritual tradition known as tantra, this particular incarnation of the Goddess.
Chinnamasta is a nude headless lady who is frequently shown sitting atop a copulating pair, carrying her head on a plate and pouring three streams of blood from her neck—two into the mouths of Chinnamasta's attendant deities and one into the lips of her own severed head.
The legend behind this sculpture is that Chinnamasta severs her own head to appease her attendants, who haven't had their fill of blood in battle.
The links between nutrition, sex, and death, as well as the Goddess's control over all of these things, are vividly shown in this picture.
Despite her influence, Chinnamasta does not have many temples devoted to her.
The temple of the goddess Chintapurni, recognized as a version of Chinnamasta in the Shiwalik Hills, is one of the most significant.
See David R. Kinsley's Hindu Goddesses (1986) and Kathleen Erndl's Victory to the Mother (1993) for further details.
You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.
Be sure to check out my writings on religion here.
