Bagala

ca. 1880–86

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 251

The goddess Bagala, the eighth of the ten Mahavidyas (Great Wisdom Goddesses), is shown here slaying a demon (asura). The deity’s full name is Bagalamukhi, “The One Who Checks the Mouth,” after her ability to silence speech and still the mind. In tantric yoga she is associated with the practice of meditative breath control (pranayama). The goddess is shown here as both regal and martial. Inscribed on the upper margin of the print are Sanskrit verses, known as dhyana sloka, or descriptions of god, written in Bengali script. The inscriptions signal that the artist-publisher Sasadhar Banarjee was addressing a literate, urban Bengali clientele. Banerjee later became a teacher of lithography at the Government School of Art in Kolkata.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Bagala
Artist: Sasadhar Banarjee , designer and publisher
Date: ca. 1880–86
Culture: West Bengal, Kolkata
Medium: Lithograph printed in black with hand-coloring with watercolor and selectively applied glaze
Dimensions: Sheet: 15 ¾ x 11 ¾ in. (40.1 x 30 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Purchase, The Kipper Family Foundation Gift, 2021
Object Number: 2021.191
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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