Page 143 - Christie's Inidian and HImalayan Works of Art, March 2019

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A PAINTING OF SHIVA AS TRIPURANTAKA,
THE DESTROYER OF TRIPURA
NORTH INDIA, PUNJAB HILLS, POSSIBLY MANDI, CIRCA 1750-1780
Opaque watercolor on paper
bow was formed from Mount Meru, the sacred mountain, and Vasuki, Shiva’s
Image 7¡ x 9¬ in. (18.6 x 24.3 cm.); folio 9 x 11Ω in. (22.9 x 29.2 cm.)
serpent became his bow string. Vishnu became the cosmic arrow which would
$8,000-12,000 destroy the demon form of the three cities in a single shot.
Raja Sidh Sen of Mandi (r.1684-1727) was a great patron of the arts and
This is a rare illustration of Shiva as the destroyer of Tripura, the three citadels sponsored an active artistic life which led to the production of numerous
of the demons. The Tripura were aerial cities which had been presented paintings. He was a keen Shaivite and images of Shiva fourished in Mandi
as blessings from Brahma to three demon brothers after severe penance. during and after his reign. The fat, monochromatic, green background and the
They would exist as separate cities for a thousand years and could only be relatively cursory depiction of the fgures in this illustration is comparable with
destroyed after they merged at the end of this period. The demons used this other mid-eighteenth century paintings from Mandi.
time to wreak havoc on gods in the heavens and on earth until the gods fnally
approached Shiva and begged for his help. The Earth became Shiva’s chariot The reverse with Devanagari numerals 48 and bearing Mandi royal collection
and Brahma, his charioteer. The sun and moon became his chariot wheels. His stamp and inventory number.

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