Lakshmi as the Tenth Mahavidya

Tantrika traditions have freely prevailed in Mithila, a stronghold of Shiva and Shakti cults. There is a group of ten goddesses known as the Mahavidyas, who are considered a creation of radical groups within the Hindu tradition viz. Tantra.

This painting is of Kamala, the tenth Mahavidya, the lotus-lady. Standing on a lotus, she is resplendent like the rising sun and is adorned with jewels and a crown. She has a smiling face and holds lotus flowers in all hands. In most iconic images, she is being bathed by elephants who pour nectar over her, but here the artist seems so fascinated with lotus that she has shown the stems of the flowers emerging from the trunks of these animals. Kamala is none other than the Goddess Lakshmi. She has auspicious, benign and desirable qualities and is associated with wealth, power, good luck and safety. The lavishly used lotus is related to life and fertility and Kamala is the life force that pervades creation. Her association with the lotus suggests that she symbolizes a certain perfection that transcends the material world, yet is rooted in it.

The basic characteristics of Madhubani art are simple, bold and clear forms. The bright colours used in this painting contribute to the vigor and dynamism.

This description by Kiranjyot.

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