Featured as part of Encountering Religions in Asian Art
Historical Period(s)
dated 1817
Medium
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (painting): 26 × 18.4 cm (10 1/4 × 7 1/4 in), H x W (overall): 30.6 × 23.5 cm (12 1/16 × 9 1/4 in)
Geography
Marwar or Jodhpur, Rajasthan state, India
Credit Line
Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection — funds provided by the Friends of the National Museum of Asian Art
Collection
National Museum of Asian Art Collection
Accession Number
S2018.1.53
Title: Thakur Ajit Singh worships the goddess
Type: Painting
Associated Religious Tradition: Hinduism
Origins
Geography: India, Rajasthan, Jodhpur or Ghanerao
Date: dated 1817
Period: Early Modern
Physical Properties
Material: Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions: H × W (overall): 30.6 × 23.5 cm (12 1/16 × 9 1/4 in)
Crediting Information
Collection: National Museum of Asian Art Collection
Credit Line: Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection—funds provided by the Friends of the Freer and Sackler Galleries Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number: S2018.1.53
Painted in 1817, this watercolor on paper depicts both the outer and the inner experience of worshiping the goddess Durga[DOOR-guh]a major goddess of Hindu traditions. She is associated with strength, protection, and the slaying of demons. in a temple. Durga, who is known as Mahishasuramardini—the killer (mardini) of the demon (asura) named Mahisha—was celebrated for her power to vanquish the most powerful of adversaries. Therefore, the Hindu kings and noblemen of Rajasthan, who understood that protecting their kingdoms from invasion was one of their most important duties, revered the goddess.
In Hindu traditions, the formless, eternal, and transcendent divine manifests in innumerable forms for the sake of worshipers. As acts of generosity toward worshipers, deities manifest their presence within temple sculptures, transforming stone or metal objects into loci of the divine. One does not “see” a sculpture of a deity, but rather, one directly encounters the god or goddess as a living presence.
The artist does not depict a sculpture. Instead, he shows us the way that a worshiper might feel when visiting a Hindu temple. Ajit Singh of Ghanerao, the nobleman depicted here as visiting the temple, does not “see” a sculpture of Durga[DOOR-guh]a major goddess of Hindu traditions. She is associated with strength, protection, and the slaying of demons., but rather, he directly encounters the goddess Durga as a living presence. Ajit Singh was loyal to the court of Jodhpur-Marwar, a kingdom in northwest India (in the modern state of Rajasthan). We can recognize him by the distinctive way that he tucks his sideburn and pearl-and-ruby earring up around his ear, his turban style, and the pockmarks on his face. Ajit Singh stands on the porch of a white, multidomed shrine dedicated to the goddess Durga. With his hands clasped in worship, Ajit Singh looks into the temple’s inner sanctum. The sanctum is located directly beneath the highest part of the temple, a tower of clustered domes. Its pink and green curtain has been rolled up to reveal the goddess within.
We see the goddess Durga in the act of slaying her most formidable enemy, the buffalo demon Mahisha[ma-HEE-shuh]the powerful buffalo demon who is defeated by the goddess Durga.. She has just cut off the buffalo demon’s head. Now, straddling her lion mount, she charges forward, grasping Mahisha’s hair and pulling him from his buffalo body so that she can cut off his head. Two young forms of the god Shiva[SHI-vuh]one of the most important and widely revered Hindu deities., black Bhairava and white Bhairava, observe the battle between good and evil.
Durga’s victory and power are celebrated every fall throughout India in the Durga Puja[DOOR-guh POOJ-uh]a celebration in honor of the goddess Durga. festival. Durga[DOOR-guh]a major goddess of Hindu traditions. She is associated with strength, protection, and the slaying of demons. is among the most widely represented visual forms of the Great Goddess (Mahadevi[MA-huh-DAY-vee]the Great Goddess, who has many different names and many different forms.) across the Indian subcontinent. She is seen in stone, bronze, wood, clay, and paint, as well as in films, television series, and video games.
In 2015, Durga made an appearance in the Disney Pixar animated short Sanjay’s Super Team. In this cartoon, a child named Sanjay imagines Durga, Shiva[SHI-vuh]one of the most important and widely revered Hindu deities., and Hanuman[HA-noom-aan]a deity with the body of a monkey; a companion of the deity Rama and an exemplar of self-discipline and devotion. as superheroes. The animators portray Durga as a fierce warrior and protector. The film’s narrative connects the child’s interest in the superheroes of popular culture with his father’s devotion to the deities of their Hindu tradition.
In her four hands, Durga[DOOR-guh]a major goddess of Hindu traditions. She is associated with strength, protection, and the slaying of demons. holds a battle standard, a sword, a chakra[CHAK-ruh]a Sanskrit word that means “wheel” or “cycle.” It is a symbol of Buddhist dharma. When Vishnu holds a chakra; it is a weapon, somewhat like a ninja star, for restoring harmony on earth. (similar to a ninja’s disk, the steel circle can be sent flying), and a lock of the demon’s hair. What do these objects tell us about Durga? What do they suggest might be a reason for gods to have extra-human forms as well as extra-human abilities?
How did this artist use color to focus our attention?
The artist depicted multiple moments in time. What are those moments? What motifs enable us to read the layering of different moments?
The artist has represented both outer appearance and inner experience. Can you think of other artworks that do this as well?
Who is the goddess Durga[DOOR-guh]a major goddess of Hindu traditions. She is associated with strength, protection, and the slaying of demons.? Why is her story important to some Hindus?
Who is Thakur Ajit Singh, and why is he a devotee of the goddess Durga?
Why are Hindu deities represented as fully present, living beings in some artworks?
What is the meaning of Durga’s battle with the buffalo demon?
What do the objects in Durga’s four arms symbolize?
Crill, Rosemary. “The Thakurs of Ghanerao as Patrons of Painting.” In Court Painting in Rajasthan, edited by A. Topsfield. Bombay: Marg Publications, 2000. Pp. 92–108.
Cummins, Joan. Indian Painting from Cave Temples to the Colonial Period. Boston, MA: MFA Publications, 2016.
Dehejia, Vidya. Devi: The Great Goddess: Female Divinity in South Asian Art. Prestel, 1999. Esp. “Durga[DOOR-guh]a major goddess of Hindu traditions. She is associated with strength, protection, and the slaying of demons.,” pp. 12–30.
