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

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

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 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

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 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

Durga-Mahishasurmardini, the Hindu mother goddess who battles the demonic forces and rescues her children is a popular deity not just in India, but in the rest of South Asia as well. Mingling with the local legends and beliefs, Maa Durga took new, magnificent forms, all the while remaining the protector mother. One such form of the great-goddess is known as Bathari Durga or Chandi in the island na