The goddess Durga on a lion, from the Devi Mahatmya
The goddess Durga on a lion, from the Devi Mahatmya

On view

South Asian Art

The goddess Durga on a lion, from the Devi Mahatmya,

ca. 1690–1710

Indian
y1947-341.1

The Story of Devi Mahatmya

The Devi Mahatmya, a Hindu text that recounts the goddess Durga’s fight against evil, is one of the earliest surviving works of Hindu religious literature to focus on a female deity. The title, which means “Glorification of the goddess” in Sanskrit, honors Durga, the mother goddess in the Hindu pantheon. She is depicted as having multiple arms, which allow her to protect those in every direction.

The goddess Durga is among the most invoked forms of female shakti, or power, in Hinduism. Her emergence resulted from the disruption of the balance of cosmic power between the divine
devas (gods) and the bestial asuras (demons). Here, Durga holds an audience with a group of gods, including the elephant-headed Ganesha and the four-headed Brahma.

Namrata B. Kanchan, PhD Candidate,
Department of Asian Studies, University of Texas at Austin

Information

Title
The goddess Durga on a lion, from the Devi Mahatmya
Dates

ca. 1690–1710

Medium
Opaque watercolor on paper
Dimensions
14.2 × 19.2 cm (5 9/16 × 7 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Frank Jewett Mather Jr.
Object Number
y1947-341.1
Place Made

India, Himachal Pradesh, Mankot

Culture
Indian
Type
manuscripts
Materials
paper (fiber product), watercolor
Subject
figures (representations), elephants, miniatures (paintings), lions, deities

Mankot, Himachal Pradesh, India; Professor Frank Jewett Mather Jr. (1868–1953); given to the Princeton University Art Museum, 1947.

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