Hanuman With Five Heads

Hanuman is the eleventh manifestation of Shiva and so shares most of the qualities of Rudra. For instance, he is intelligent, bountiful and as brilliant as the sun. The village folk of Madhubani invoke him for protection against all obstacles, evils and malevolent influences.

Shown here in brilliant red colour, Hanuman has five faces with corresponding ten arms. To strengthen his association with Shiva, his attributes like the trident and the serpent are held in his hands. The artist has adorned his body with ornaments and bestowed him with attributes of various other gods. Bird, beast and human faces are part of the five faces depicted here. A single fiery halo unites them. The artist uses Hanuman's clothes to experiment with colour and pattern, using almost all colours from the chromatic palette. Indeed, the Madhubanis revel in colour. Lotus finds place here, not only to fill empty spaces but also as a fabric pattern.

The border sporting the name of Shri Ram shows that Hanuman is worshipped for his devotion and loyalty to Lord Rama.

This description by Renu Rana.