The Ten MahaVidyas

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In a typical style of simplicity in Madhubani painting, these ten goddesses appear in their popular form. The first (clockwise) and the most important of the Mahavidyas is Kali, the consort of Shiva and considered the incarnation of his energy. She has a fierce countenance, stands on the supine body of Shiva and has four arms. The great goddess of tantrism, Kali is depicted with her tongue sticking out of her mouth in mockery of the ignorance of humans and to flaunt the fact of her own supreme knowledge.

Dark complexioned, with a protruding tongue, Tara, is in appearance, like Kali. She has a garland of heads hanging down her neck and is draped in tiger skin below the waist. She is unrestrained, wild and dominant and is primarily a liminal symbol. Tara occupies a central place in tantric Buddhist mythology and iconography.

Bhuvaneshwari has three eyes, holds a noose and a goad which suggest control. She makes the gesture of giving a boon with one hand and bestowing fearlessness with the other. In her role as a creator and as one pervading the universe, Bhuvaneshwari is often identified with Saraswati. Her beauty and attractiveness might be understood as an affirmation of the physical world.

Tripura Sundari is often depicted iconographically as seated on a lotus that rests on the supine body of Shiva, which in turn lies on the throne whose legs are the gods Brahma, Vishnu, Indra and Rudra. Here the lotus is growing out of Shiva's navel. Tripura Sundari occupies a prominent position in both Kashmiri and South Indian Tantrism.

Baglamukhi is also referred to as Pitambari Devi- one dressed in yellow. She is associated with magical and mystical powers. Her image is beautiful and she is associated with material blessings and welfare.

As Chinnamasta, 'the decapitated', Kali is intoxicated with divine energy and feeds upon her own blood, while drenching her other two aspects, positive and negative. They symbolize the illusions of duality. The couple beneath her feet, Kama and his his consort Rati, are the 'originality' couple, from whom all creation springs but which she mocks, herself being the unique source of everything.

Dhumavati's complexion is like the black clouds and her features are ugly. In one hand she holds a winnowing basket and with the other she makes a gesture of conferring boons. She rides a chariot that has a banner decorated with an emblem of crows. She is a symbol of all that is unattractive and inauspicious but the Mahavidyas are supposed to represent the diversity of reality, so have young and beautiful forms as well as ugly, fearsome ones.

Adorned with jeweled ornaments, Matangi is seated on a corpse. She has a smiling face and holds a noose, a sword, a goad and a club in her four hands. She is worshipped to gain certain magical and psychic powers. Curiously, she is offered left over or polluted food.

Bhairavi is brilliant like the rising sun, has three eyes, wears a jeweled crown and various ornaments. She has four arms: in two, she holds a rosary and a book and with the other two she makes gestures of assurance and conferring boons. She has facets that assert her cosmic importance but she is primarily associated with destructive energy.

Kamla, seated on a lotus is resplendent like the morning sun, adorned with ornaments and a crown. She has a smiling face and holds lotus flowers in her hands. She is being bathed, large elephants pouring nectar over her. Kamla is none other than goddess Lakshmi. She has auspicious, benign and desirable qualities. Kamla is associated with wealth, power, good luck and safety. Lotus is related to life and fertility and Kamla herself is the life force that pervades creation.

Each goddess has a Yantra depicted below her picture. Yantras have an important place in the worship of all the Mahavidyas. Yantras of various deities differ in design and the power they represent, but their overall logic and structure is consistent. Also consistent is the purpose of worshipping it and the way it is worshipped and its role in Tantric sadhana.

This description by Renu Rana.

References:

Kinsley, David. Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine: The Ten Mahavidyas. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1998.

Thakur, Upendra. Madhubani Painting. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications.

Jain, Jyotindra. Ganga Devi: Tradition and Expression in Mithila Painting. Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd.

Colors of Tradition: Exploring the Artistry Behind Madhubani Paintings

Madhubani painting is also known as Mithila art as it is practiced in the Mithila region of India and Nepal. It has specifically originated from the Madhubani district of the state of Bihar. Traditionally, the women of this region created these paintings and in recent years, it has become a widely practiced art and has now become renowned throughout the world. This art expresses the creativity and culture of the people of Mithila and is passed from one generation to another. In this way, the heritage of Madhubani art has been preserved for many decades. The subjects of these paintings are usually religion, love, and fertility. Sometimes, social events like festivals, weddings, and royal court are also depicted in the paintings. The most commonly painted designs and themes are the forms of Hindu Gods and Goddesses such as Ganesha, Shiva, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Krishna, and Ram. The characteristic features of Madhubani paintings are their vibrant colors and eye-catching geometrical patterns. The empty spaces are filled with traditional motifs such as floral and foliate patterns, animals, birds, geometrical structures, and other designs. The local artists create these paintings using a variety of items such as matchsticks, twigs, brushes, pens, or even their own fingers. The paints are usually made with natural dyes and pigments.
As simple as it may seem, the making process of the world-famous Madhubani paintings is certainly not easy and requires lots of hard labor.

Traditional Madhubani paintings are done either on cloth, handmade paper, or canvas. Select the medium of painting as per your choice. If you have chosen cloth, attach it to cardboard to make a solid base. The making of the painting begins with making a double-lined border. This is a very important step because the border is filled with various geographical shapes and patterns or other motifs. The average width of the border is 1.5 - 2 cm. Now that the border is created, you will be left with a blank middle space. This is the main workspace. Start drawing your choice of figure, designs, and shapes. These must be relevant to the Madhubani painting themes.

When the key design has been made, the empty spaces in between are filled with some designs.
Now is the time to color the painting using vivid shades and hues. Colors in Madhubani are sourced from nature; Indigo is used to produce blue, flower juice produces red, turmeric gives yellow, leaves produce green, cow dung mixed soot gives black, and rice powder gives white.

To paint these colors, the artist uses a bamboo stick and wraps cotton around it. This acts as a traditional brush.
The entire painting is now painted using this special brush with natural vibrant colors. · However, in modern times, the common brush is used and instead of natural colors, artists prefer to use acrylic paints.

Since the entire painting is made with natural materials and colors, it appears simple yet enriching. Originally, this art was created on mud walls or soil grounds but when it evolved over many years, the people of Madhubani started to make it on fabric and paper. Today, this art has become globalized and is receiving worldwide attention and appreciation.