The Goddess Durga Slaying the Elephant Demon, Karindrasura (Jagaddhatri)
Artist/maker unknown, Indian
Geography:
Made in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata), West Bengal, India, Asia
Date:
c. 1875-1880Medium:
Transparent, opaque, and metallic watercolors on paperDimensions:
Sheet: 17 3/16 × 10 13/16 inches (43.7 × 27.5 cm)Curatorial Department:
South Asian ArtObject Location:
1994-148-563Credit Line:
Stella Kramrisch Collection, 1994
Made in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata), West Bengal, India, Asia
Date:
c. 1875-1880Medium:
Transparent, opaque, and metallic watercolors on paperDimensions:
Sheet: 17 3/16 × 10 13/16 inches (43.7 × 27.5 cm)Curatorial Department:
South Asian ArtObject Location:
Currently not on view
Accession Number:1994-148-563Credit Line:
Stella Kramrisch Collection, 1994
Label:
Jagaddhatri, 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.
Jagaddhatri, 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.
