Goddess Lalitha Devi, an incarnation of Parashakti, the Supreme Goddess, is known by many names: Lalithambika, Tripura etc. In this Tanjore painting that falls so easy on the eye and is yet so aesthetic, Goddess Lalitha is sitting in a dais in a majestic temple that resembles a mandap. It is believed that chanting her name will bring prosperity to the chanter. She is believed to be the companion of Lord Shiva, and in saying that she declares herself to be a form of Devi Parvati. She is the mother of the cosmos as the world knows it. She is the slayer of Bhandasura, an Asura (demon) who gained half the strength of whoever he was fighting.
In this Tanjore painting, she wears a saree the color of brilliant vermillion, complemented by the elaborate flower garland that is embracing her. In her four hands, she holds a bouquet of flowers, a sugarcane stalk, a noose, and a goad. She uses the goad to nudge her followers in the right direction so that they may never lose their way. She is the shristi (world) itself and all its five elements. In front of her is a space where Lord Shiva resides in a shivling, also covered in small flower garlands. The scene is set as it always is before the priest comes in to worship, giving it another sense of being a temple. The presence of the garlands and the mandap indicate that this is a marriage of two of the most powerful deities of the Hindu pantheon.
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