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Bhuvanesvari and Bagala

ca. 1885–95
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 251
The ten Mahavidyas (Great Wisdom Goddesses) were widely worshipped in Bengal as tantric manifestations of the different facets of Devi, the supreme goddess. They are analogous to the ten avatars of Vishnu and are highly revered as personifications of Shakti, Shiva’s energy. On the left is the goddess Bhuvaneshvari, the embodiment of the primordial creative forces of the physical world (prakriti) as expressed through the five basic elements of existence (mahabhutas). On the right is Bagala, whose power to silence speech destroys a devotee’s delusions and misconceptions, and thus calms the mind. She wears a garland of white jasmine, a fragrant flower that is much loved by Shiva and is linked in ayurvedic medicine with soothing qualities. The two goddesses are youthful and beautiful, as prescribed in devotional literature. The setting of both prints evokes that of a contemporary theatre in Kolkata.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Bhuvanesvari and Bagala
  • Date: ca. 1885–95
  • Culture: West Bengal, Kolkata
  • Medium: Chromolithograph on paper
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 12 × 16 in. (30.5 × 40.6 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Robert and Bobbie Falk Philanthropic Fund Gift, 2021
  • Object Number: 2021.214
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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