Devi Bhadrakali, The Trimurti Bowing Before Her (Tantric Devi Series)

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There is much to Devi Bhadrakali that is captured in Her name. In Sanskrit, the syllable 'bha' means 'maya' or 'illusion', while 'dra' stands for 'maha' or 'that which is superlative'; which explains why some people refer to Her as Devi Mahamaya Kali. She is the wife of Veerbhadra, and the supreme deity of the Shakti sect of Hinduism as well as one of the das mahavidyas. In this skilfully done Basholi-style watercolour, the all-powerful Devi is being paid obeisance by the Hindu trimurti, Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva. Despite being sole-responsible for running the complex dharmic cycle of creation-preservation-destruction respectively, these three deities themselves bow before the fierce Bhadrakali.

The rich red of Her silk dhoti brings out Her unmistakable ashen blue complexion. Her long silver hair is complemented by the white translucent dupatta around Her head and shoulders and the streams of pristine pearls that constitute Her shringar interspersed with studded gold. From Her protruding fangs and the third eye popping out from the vibhuti on Her brow, to the fact that from Her body language She barely acknowledges the trimurt's homage, everything about Her exudes a divine degree of power possible only for a Hindu devi. What sets this apart from the other watercolours in this series is the soorya-roopi mandala within which the Devi and Her worshippers are contained.