An embossed square-shaped panel depicting Devi Sarasvati. Nestled upon the belly of a gigantic lotus bloom, She floats about on the bosom of the steadily flowing Ganges. She is playing on Her veena, which She cradles in Her anterior arms (in Her posterior hands, the chaturbhujadharini holds a rosary and a pothi or manuscript). The implements in Sarasvati’s hands convey Her status as the presidin

The irresistibly beautiful Lakshmi is seated on a blooming pink lotus. She is clad in a scarlet-colored saree, densely embroidered with gold. With streams of emeralds and rubies about Her, every curve - neck and hip and wrists - the wife of Vishnu is the most sumptuously dressed Devi of the Hindu pantheon, as depicted in this Thanjavur painting. This is because She is the presiding deity over plen

Goddess Durga created seven Matrikas from her own self and battled against the demon Raktabija. Devi Varahi, one of them is the female counterpart of Varaha, the boar Avatar of Lord Vishnu. The Goddess who is the regent of the southern direction and protector of the age is sometimes described as the Goddess of darkness and the ideal time for worshipping her is after sunset and midnight. Some templ

A seated Green Tara murti of substantial proportions. Queen of the Buddhist heavens, the epitome of karuna (compassion), metta (natural kindness), and shunyata (nothingness), She is a bodhisattva in the Mahayana tradition and a buddha in Vajrayana. On a petal-embossed throne, She sits, with the right foot cradled by a minuscule bloom in the foreground.n This is a signature aspect of the iconograph

Varahi, a supremely powerful Tantric goddess is one of the Sapt-Matrikas, seven mother goddesses who accompany goddess Durga to the battlefield as per Shakta tradition. The sow-faced goddess is considered a mighty incarnation of the divine mother and the counterpart of Vishnu’s Varaha avatar. In the Tantric traditions, she is often described as a warrior but for her children, she takes the form

Lord Kamadeva is Hindu dharma’s presiding deity over desire. Devi Rati is the object of the desire He embodies. In the murti that you see on this page, the two are captured in the midst of the passionate dance. Their arms and legs are in the air. The spinal column, all the way from the hips to the neck, is contorted at an expressive angle. Fashioned from panchaloha, a blend of five (‘loha’)

Shitala Mata is a folk deity and an incarnation of supreme Goddess Durga; cures poxes, sores, ghouls, pustules, and diseases. Shitala literally means ‘one who cools’ and is referred to as ‘ma’ or ‘mata’ as she, just like a mother cures her children of diseases and other evil spirits and ghosts. She is known by various names, Jagrani (queen of the world), Karunamayi (full of mercy), Man

A manifestation of Chinese princess Kongjo and an important figure in Buddhism, White Tara is a female Boddhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism, also known as the ‘Mother of Liberation’. She is associated with longevity and counteracts illness, thereby bringing about a long life. As shown here, White Tara is always depicted as sitting in a lotus posture with the soles of her feet pointing upwards, he

The primordial female energy, the invisible Shakti (power) that is the basis of all our actions, armed with the power of all the gods, becomes the great goddess, Durga. The slayer of Mahishaur- Mahishasurmardini and the mother of the universe, Jagadamba, Devi Durga is the female element at the peak of its beauty and ferocity. In the terms of Hindu esoteric philosophy, Maa Durga among many things i

The serene Lakshmi Devi is seated in lalitasana. Her throne is a gigantic lotus in full bloom. At the base of this lotus-shaped throne is another lotus bloom of more realistic proportions. On its belly cradles the foot of Laxmi Mata’s pendant limb. The posterior of Her four arms bear lotuses, while Her anterior hands are in the mudras of aashirvada (blessing) and Abhaya (fearlessness). This is t

Mahakali, or the great (‘maha’) Kali, is the omnipotent Roopa (form) of Devi Kali. As a manifestation of the wife of Shiva, the otherwise serene Devi Parvati, the wrath of the Kali Goddess knows no bounds. The Kali statue that you see on this page captures the wrathful aspect of the Hindu Mother Goddess with perfection. To begin with, the medium is a jet black marble. It is an expressive, all-

The episode of the battle of the great goddess and the demon Raktabija as mentioned in the Vamana Purana describes the powerful expansions of the Adi-Shakti, which took the form of warring goddesses, each one of them originating from the other, assisting the Adi Devi Durga in slaying the demon. These goddesses came to be known as Sapta-Matrikas, “seven mothers”, and are associated with the mal