Page 200 - Eye of the beholder

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Central India was another important centre where miniature tradition found patronage among its many rulers. The Central Indian School of art defines the art styles of Malwa, Bundelkhand and Raghogarh. Malwa pioneered the art of miniature painting in Central India. The depiction of the initial style of miniature painting was excellence in execution, draughtsmanship, colour-scheme and its style of representation. Although its political borders have fluctuated throughout history, the region developed its own distinct culture, influenced by the Rajasthani, Marathi and Gujarati milieu.
In the painting, “Devi Killing the Ashuras” placed against a maroon red background the action is set for an energetic and a diabolic war. Devi rides on her vahana which, appears to be a hybrid animal form with snout of a boar, and the body of a lion. She sits on a bed of neatly arranged lotus petals attired in a charming glowing orange choli and ghagra that has a striking striped print. Her long lotus shaped eyes are focused on the action taking place in front. The judicious selection of the jewellery that adorns her body is worth a scrutiny. On her head is a decoratively designed gold crown with three lotus buds and adorned with pearls and a partial halo surrounds her face. She is four armed and has a gada in her left hand and the right behind holds a sword which she is engaged with actively, while the hand in front holds a long deadly spear. The back left hand holds a weapon that appears like a ring. The ornaments around her neck have interesting designs. A gold choker embedded with pearls in the centre attracts the eye as it intimately hugs her neck. Next is a pearl stand with a pendant, including a longer one with a tear shaped pearl pendant that hangs from the bottom. It is the larger necklace of gold chain and with numerous pendants strung in- between with a rectangular larger one in the centre is attractive and interesting. These types of long ‘haar’ or garland continues to be a traditional design and worn by ladies in Rajasthan particularly. Her earrings are also embedded with pearl and have jhumka hanging from it. Her feet has the henna or mehendi and adorned with graceful and elegant ankles that contours it stylishly. The long luxuriant open hair gently flows down her back from underneath her crown, with a few strands gently caressing her cheeks.
She is aided in her fight with an attendant in the upper left hand corner, who wears a yajnopavita and is bare bodied except for an orange loin cloth that sweeps down in front touching the ground, and a skin fitting garment that comes up to his knees. His right hand holds a dagger; the position suggests that he has already beheaded the ashura in front of him. His long hair is caught in a knot at the back resting on the nape of his neck. The jewellery adorning his body is also of pearls including the ear rings with a precious stone perhaps emerald in the centre of the round design.
The artist’s imagination has taken flight in the delineation of the ashuras and has depicted them in different colours and with different evil countenances that are as ferocious as they are demonic. The goddess has driven her sword through the stomach of an already decapitated demon, while her gada in the left hand has knocked down another demon rendered in jet black having the snout of a boar and ears of another animal. The spear in her front right hand is driven through a yellow hued ashura. All the ashuras are hybrid or composite forms that metaphorically represent the evil power and energetic force that they are invested with. The effects of evil are portrayed through the horns on their heads, large canine teeth projecting out from the sides of the mouth and a tongue that hangs in a malicious way. Only one ashura in white with pink dots wears a yajnopavita. They are all adorned with heavy pearl jewellery that is also found around their ankles.
The colours of the ashuras are different symbolizing evil in black, jealousy and vindictiveness in yellow, white with pink spots malice, pink with red dots anger and blue hatred. While the white boar-lion vahana of the Devi epitomizes her purity and power as she overcomes different shades of evil surrounding her.