Shiva-Parvati Wedding

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One of the most life-affirming moments in the trajectory of paraloka, the wedding of Lord Shiva with His Devi Parvati. The daughter of the mountains is being given away to the ascetic who has made the mountains His home. Poised on either side of the long-stalked flower that forms the midline of the composition, the two stand on the verge of impending union. They both gaze straight ahead with their fingers wrapped around the auspicious garlands they are to bestow upon one another.

On each of the respective sides of the bride and the groom are three entities from the Hindoo pantheon. In the foreground are more deities in seated stance, all looking up at the divine couple in veneration. Their body language is expressive - some have their hands in the namaskaram mudra, while some are simply reaching out to Shiva-Parvati with open hands.

A bitone painting on fabric, kalamkari compositions are known for their rudimentary outlines worked (‘kari’) with a homemade pen (‘kalam’). Fine black lines of the kalam have been selectively filled in with ivory and scarlet, making for a definitive statement of wedding cheer. From the sheer proportion of finery on each of the deities to the elaborately done edges that frame the central theme, this work is one of the finest examples of contemporary kalamkari art.