Navaratri or Navadurga

This Madhuvani painting of Durga, obviously prepared for Navaratri or Navadurga rituals, represents nine versions of the Devi. Devi has numerous manifestations like Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, Jagadamba, Jaya, Bhairavi, Durga, Mahasaraswati, Matangi, Padmavati, Sarvambikesha, Kameshwari, Bhuvaneshi, Durga and numerous others but her such nine forms have no scriptural allusion. Navadurga or Navaratri festivals, though celebrated in each corner and every square of the country by names varying from Navaratra or Navapatrika of Western India, to Amba of Kashmir, Hingla or Rudrani of Gujrat, Kalyani of North, Ambika or Amba of Deccan, Uma of Mithila and Durga of Bengal, seem to have their origin in folk tradition which has associated with it now several legends. Folk tradition has always been more innovative. Obviously, this representation of Navadurga as her nine versions is the creation of folk mind and a scriptural illusion of Devils yet another form, by the name of Navadurga or Navaratri.

Navaratri is now for many decades a nine day private ritual and a public festival celebrated variedly in different parts of the country .Observance of fast and performance of daily rites, once a day in all essentialities, are its common manifestations. It is for such ritual worship that every part of India has its own manifest form of Devi, the poor village folk discovering her in images rendered by their own hands with cow-dung or minerals and vegetables on the wall of their Devaghar, and the rich elite in sophisticated colours and by professional hands on paper or other kind of canvas. This painting of Navadurga represents her Madhuvani manifestation, one of India's most versatile and vibrant folk traditions and art-forms. The painting is exceptional in its execution, vigour, rhythm and effects. The ritual object of the painting is also evident from the mantra inscribed on its bottom.

The central figure, in padmasana, seated on a thousand petalled lotus and with a distinguished crown-form, has been conceived as the presiding deity form of the Devi. Sarvashcha shodasha bhuja defines the sixteen armed form of all the nine images. They are armed with weapons attributed to Devi at the time of her creation, Shiva's trident, Vishnu's disc, Varuna's conch, Agni's dart, Yama's rod, Vayu's bow, Surya's arrows, Indra's thunderbolt, Kuber's mace, Brahma's rosary and kamandal, Kala's sword and shield, Vishwakarma's battle axe and several other weapons, articles and amulets. All the nine images have in common a sword, trident, bow and arrow, noose, lotus and standard, whereas the dart, snake, bell, disc, kamandal, spear, rod, conch, rosary , abhaya are held by them variedly. Besides the central padmasana image the image in the middle on the top row too is without a vehicle. Of the rest seven images four have lions as their vehicles and the other three a bull, a horse and a goat. The two of the images, the one on presiding deity's right and the other just below her, are only moving along their vehicles.

Simple oval faces, large prominent eyes, broad features and undefined forms, blunt lines, bright basic colours used for arriving at all forms but more for delineating the vivid and minute designs and patterns for embellishing each body part and each inch of space creating rhythm and a feeling of awesome devotionality are features characteristic of Madhuvani art and of all folk art traditions in general. The artist has used upper and lower margins of the painting for drawing on them Devi yantra and the sides, both on left. and right, various manifestations of Devi, the more important being her Kapalika, Chandi, Kali and Padmavati forms.The painting characteristically represents Madhuvani, the great folk art tradition of India.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.