Mohara of Goddess Mahal (A Rare Sculpture)

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This brass-cast – a well bejeweled and elaborately crowned head of a female deity, reproduces the Mohara of Devi Mahal, one of the foremost regional goddesses of Himalayan hills, the other being Devi Nau, Devi Hadimba, Devi Balu, Devi Katola, Devi Thati …, as also the local transforms of Bhagavati and Ambika. In Takari, Himachal’s regional language, particularly in dialect spoken around Mandi, Kullu, Chamba etc. ‘Mohara’ is a term used for mask, though unlike a mask which is a hollow casing with openings for eyes, nose and mouth to be worn over the face imitating a role other than one’s own, Mohara is the related deity’s absolute representation made by a partial anatomy : a face with well defined features, neck, hair and a diadem over the head. Mohara does not have openings for eyes, mouth or nose as has a mask.

Mohara is a specific kind of image cast for a particular event, the annual or periodical Ratha-yatra – the chariot-procession of a deity, one of the foremost ritual ceremonies exceptionally popular in every region of the Himalayan hills. In great pomp and glory the Mohara, cast in any of the metals, mostly gold or silver but sometimes also copper and brass, is installed in a chariot and is taken around the locality. It is widely believed that the deity would drive away every ailment and evil across wherever it moves. Though every region has its own preferred deity – male or female, Lord Shiva by various names being the universal, as also the exclusive, choice for a male Mohara in the entire hill region, the style of image of all them is a standard format consisting of a face with neck and a diadem over the head.

Irrespective of that the term means a mask, Mohara is not a mask but the absolute vision of the deity. Though the image comprises just the partial anatomy of the goddess, incompleteness is not the impression that it breeds; on the contrary it makes the viewing eye feel that it can not reach the goddess beyond this part, not because she does not have the rest of her figure but seated into the recessed womb of the ‘Ratha’ – chariot, it is only above her neck, not below it, that the eye might scan her figure. Representing the goddess only by her face is further meaningful, and more so when it is the part of the ritual or votive imagery for contrary to an operative image that performs an act – elimination of a demon or whatever, the votive image symbolises the constant presence of the divine power assuring good and uninterrupted benevolence. Hence, nowhere in hills a Ratha-yatra is accomplished with an operative image installed in the Ratha-sanctum but by Mohara, more or less the symbolic and conventional icon of the presiding deity.

Though every region has a particular goddess, the style of their Moharas is widely common. As is prescribed for every Mohara, classical or otherwise, this Mohara of goddess Mahal too has a folk touch : the same smoothly modeled face rendered with naturalistic cheeks, neither too heavy nor too thin, prominent nose, a thick protruding under-lip, and the upper, being defined by a nose-drop, well-defined chin, almond-shaped large eyes with over-size eye-balls and projecting upper eye-lids revealing her anxiety for her devotees, thick arched eye-brows, forehead with the third-eye mark and waving hair, large ears with elongated earlobes and a set of ‘karna-phools’ – flower-ornaments on the apex, besides a triple-crested crown embedded with multiple gems. This triple-crested diadem is the distinction of Devi Mahal. For symbolising the Ratha the artist has cast a ‘kshattra’ – umbrella, and a plain but tiered pedestal respectively over and under her figure.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.