Alan,
This is a very complex question to answer because of, as you know, Hinduism is not one religion and even Shivaism includes a lot of different beliefs.
But I will give it a try based on my present understanding (which may radically change in the future the more I study it) and in English, which is not my native tongue.
A. What is Shiva?
Shiva is something abstract and could be understood in many ways:
1. Shiva is formless and could only be explained with what he is not.
2. Shiva could be slightly understood when he manifests himself in this world (as shakti).
He creates, maintains and destroys this world but he is also the one who hides the true world (illusion/veil, maya) and saves with his mercy.
Shiva has both male (passive) and female (active - shakti) aspects explained as:
a) The "intellectual version"
Shiva is in a vertical line divided into a male and female body. This means that shakti is not a separate devi but an aspect of Shiva's two sides.
Sometimes this is also represented by the active female shakti who is dancing on the passive, sleeping, male Shiva. Shiva has no form (nirguna) but shakti has form (saguna). When Shiva manifest himself in the world he uses shakti, the female form, that has several names like Uma, Parvati, Durga, Kali, Ganga etc. depending on what it's supposed to do. But they are all Shiva and not separate goddesses.
b) The "folk version".
Shiva is a god who is married to the goddess Devi. In the stories Devi has several incarnations as Uma, Parvati etc. Sometimes f.i. Parvati creates a manifestation as Durga etc. Probably the different names originates from local variations and former goddesses?
B. Why Durga?
Durga is a form of the Shakti/Maha-Devi [depending on version a) or b) above].
I have found three reasons to believe it's probable that it's specifically Durga and not the overall Maha-Devi on the hilts:
a) Durga is specifically mentioned in old sources connected with keris, f.i. the Keris Ki Lobar with Durga Dingkul of Gajah Mada (Wiener p. 110) as well as Kerner's different works - f.i. Der keris Ki Sudamala or Keris-griffe aus Museum und privatsammlungen. Probably M Kerner is the one to best answer your question on why Durga?
b) There are several sculptures of Durga found on Java, connected to the Shiva-cult, and she is connected with victory and death.
c) The face is never realistic portrayed on these hilts, as f.i. the Raksasa hilts, but hidden or veiled. According to a myth no man will survive seeing the face of Durga. This is not the case with Devi-Sri according to my understanding?
Michael
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