Goddess Bhuvaneshvari
The Tantric goddess Bhuvaneshvari, worshipped as the embodiment of the power of knowledge, is praised in this print’s caption: “She has the glowing magnificence of the rising sun and wears the moon on her crown. She has high breasts and three eyes. With a smiling face, she has one hand in the gesture of granting boons and the other in the gesture of protectiveness. Salutations to the Devi Bhuvaneshvari.” She embodies the five elements of the physical world (bhutas), which emanate from her as sparks from a fire. To invoke the goddess in Tantric rituals, a devotee can meditate on her visual form, such as this print, or her bija mantra (a sacred, one-syllable Sanskrit sound). She has many epithets.
Artwork Details
- Title: Goddess Bhuvaneshvari
- Date: ca. 1880–85
- Culture: West Bengal, Calcutta
- Medium: Lithograph, printed in black and hand-colored with watercolor and selectively applied glaze
- Dimensions: Sheet: 15 7/8 x 11 7/8 in. (40.5 x 30.3 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Purchase, The Kipper Family Foundation Gift, 2021
- Object Number: 2021.197
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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1878–1882
Calcutta Art Studio
ca. 1878–83
1878–1883
Becharam Das Dutta
dated equivalent to 1856
1878–1883
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