Shri Ambaji

ca. 1910–20, possibly printed in Germany

Not on view

An eight-armed goddess rides her tiger across a mix of landscapes filled with shrines, ritual practitioners, and related devotional scenes. The settings signal that she is a pastoral goddess venerated by cow herders, seen at upper right, and Brahmin priests, seen at left performing a fire ritual, alike. The print names the goddess as Shri Ambaji Mataji; the name Amba is the Dravidian word for “mother.” The regionality and antiquity of this language points to this goddess having non-Vedic origins, and she is likely associated with earlier folk traditions from forest and mountain communities. Her resemblance to the Hindu goddess Durga reflects the successful absorption of such goddess cults into the Brahmanical repertoire.

Artwork Details

Title: Shri Ambaji
Date: ca. 1910–20, possibly printed in Germany
Culture: India, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Medium: Chromolithograph on paper
Dimensions: Sheet: 6 7/8 × 4 7/8 in. (17.5 × 12.4 cm)
Image: 6 5/16 × 4 1/2 in. (16 × 11.4 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of John and Fausta Eskenazi, 2025
Object Number: 2025.269.15
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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