“Shakti is the victory that negates a fall
The force that scans the sky is Shakti
Shakti is the fount that evades fate
The light that lights the heart is Shakti.”
Taken from the Shakta Padabali of Ramaprasad Sen, a Bengali devotee-poet, these lines might not be from the Pahari region from where the elements of this goddess Durga painting are taken, but they are from a powerful Hindu-Tantra tradition of faith in the great-goddess as Shakti (the primordial energy), that cuts across the boundaries of geography, languages and art forms.
Stately and embodying the virtues of a celestial warrior, goddess Durga for her devotees is the mystical force that allows them to brave combats of material and spiritual battlefields which is why she is devotedly evoked as “Jaya”- victory incarnate.
Inside a marble arched hall of a royal palace, the mother-goddess Durga -Rajarajeshwari- queen of the kings is enthroned on a bejeweled royal seat, with a blossomed lotus flower as her rug. Devi is in her powerful Ashta (eight) Bhuja (armed) form, carrying divine weapons in her hands.
The Chakra (of Sri Vishnu) slashes the heads of demons as well as the ties of worldly desires, the bloomed lotus signifies the pure energies of primordial wisdom, the Ankusha (goad) keeps the negative forces in check, the Shankha (conch) declares the commencement of her battle and victory over the armies of Asuras, the Khadaga (sword) and Gada (mace) injure the devious enemy and the Dhaala (shield) protects her children.
A distinctive feature of this goddess Durga painting is the Vijaya-Pataka (flag of victory) which the goddess holds in her main left hand, a sign of royalty, symbolizing the proclamation of her endless triumphs. Another royal insignia that adorns the presence of the Adi Shakti (primeval energy) is the Chattra (umbrella) over her head, separating her aura from the rest of the world.
Keeping in touch with the tradition of Pahari School where only half of the profile of the subject is shown, the painting presents the glorious countenance of Devi, which glows like the Sun. The ornamentation of the mother-goddess is beyond words- with her golden dupatta, pleasing yellow lehenga, and ornaments of gold, pearl, emerald, and ruby that beautifies her heavenly form, Devi Durga in this watercolor painting is Bhuvana-Mohini (the enchantress or Mohini of the world or Bhuvana).
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