Indian and Himalayan Art The Goddess Durga Slaying the Elephant Demon, Karindrasura (Jagaddhatri) Made in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata), West Bengal, India, Asiac. 1875-80 Artist/maker unknown, India Transparent, opaque, and metallic watercolors on paper Currently not on view 1994-148-563 Stella Kramrisch Collection, 1994 |
LabelJagaddhatri, one of the martial forms of Durga, is celebrated for defeating the elephant demon, Karindrasura. She is especially popular in West Bengal, where a special puja (Hindu worship) in her honor takes place every autumn. In souvenir paintings created at the famous Kalighat temple near Kolkata (Calcutta), she is usually shown astride her lion vehicle (vahana) which itself stands upon the elephant. Unlike other forms of Durga, Jagaddhatri has four rather than ten arms. She carries an arrow, a discus, a conch shell, and a bow. Here the image overlays a linear grid, which may have served as a compositional aid. |
