Title : Durga Sara (Mahishasura Mardini)
Accession No : VC/72/231 (1)
Painted clay disc depicting the Goddess Durga, riding upon her vehicle, the Dawon (lion). The pair are shown vanquishing the demon Mahishasura. Durga is flanked on either side by her children, on her left, Kartikeya and Saraswati and on her right, Lakshmi and Ganesha. The plate has white background and blue border. The figures are painted in green, red and black circular in form.
Gallery
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Provenance
- StateWest Bengal
Contributor
- Community / TribeKumhar
Dimensions
- Measurement (CMS)36.5 (dia.)
Significance
- ReligiousMahishasura was the son of Mahisi (Buffalo), and the great-grandson of Brahmarshi Kashyapa. He was ultimately killed by Goddess Durga - after which She gained the epithet Mahishasuramardini.
- Socio economicTerracotta is clay-based ceramic pottery known for its expression of the human mind for ages. According to Hindu beliefs, this ancient form is considered auspicious for incorporating all the five classical elements of nature, namely, air, water, earth, fire, and space. Tracing back to its history, Terracotta models were found in abundance from the sites of Indus Valley Civilization like Birhana, Mehrgarh, Harappa, Mohenjodaro, etc. which dates backs to around 7000 BC. Slowly it was welcomed by Indian households in the form of kitchenware and other utility products, and gradually growing into homemade art and pottery. States like Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh still cherish their cultural heritage that propagates around Terracotta art, with distinctive crafts like hand-made jars, embroidered rooftops, and lanterns.
- ArtisticMahishasuramardini is enacted and performed in Nadia District.
Description
- DescriptionPainted clay disc depicting the Goddess Durga, riding upon her vehicle, the Dawon (lion). The pair are shown vanquishing the demon Mahishasura. Durga is flanked on either side by her children, on her left, Kartikeya and Saraswati and on her right, Lakshmi and Ganesha. The plate has white background and blue border. The figures are painted in green, red and black circular in form.
- Inscription/Markings No
- Reference"Barnard, Nicholas. Arts and Crafts of India. London: Conran Octopus Limited, 1993 Ranjan, Aditi. Handmade in India: Crafts of India. Edited by Aditi Ranjan & M. P. Ranjan. Ahmedabad: Council of Handicraft Development Corporations, 2007."
- KeywordDisc, Durga, Goddess, Dawon, Shiva, Mahishasura, Mardini, Kartikeya, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Ganesha, Religious, Plate, Lion