Devi Mahishasuramardini Against A Serene Blue Aureole

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The Mahishasuramardini is a confluence of the serene and the wrathful, the nurturing and the overpowering, the beautiful and the invincible. She is the quintessential Indian Devi in saffron saree and gold shringar, yet She has the stance of a slayeress (Sanskrit: ‘mardini’). She is the wife of Lord Shiva and mother to His sons and daughters, who are an integral aspect of the more extensive Durga iconography; but She was born for more than that, to slay adharma. She is not only the most beauteous of the Hindu devi pantheon, but also the most powerful.

Despite the size and the difficult medium of this watercolour, the all-important iconography of the dashabhujadhari Devi is intact. Ample black hair cascades down from beneath Her elaborate bejewelled crown. The defeated Mashishasura (bull-demon, which explains the name ‘Mahishasuramardini’) cowers at Her feet. His body is pierced by Her spear, His limbs devoured by Her simhavahana. Zoom in on the bottom of the painting - the weapon of the adharmee has fallen off from his hand, and his vahana the bull is dead and trampled upon.

The serene blue aureole lends to this dynamic composition a hint of stillness and depth. The arc of the marble saucer is lined with a panel of floral motifs, the likes of which are to be seen in the makeshift temples erected in Her honour during the biennial festival of the East.