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Source Description
Devi, the Great Goddess of the Hindu traditions, embodies power and energy ("shakti"), using her strength to defeat demons. The demon Raktabija, however, presented a special challenge. Every time a drop ("bija," “seed”) of his blood ("rakta") fell to the ground, a clone of the demon arose. Devi—seen here riding her lion, energetically wielding weapons in her many arms—created a fearsome emanation of herself, the emaciated goddess Kali. As Kali lapped up Raktabija’s blood, she was able to defeat him.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
39829
label
Kali Conquers Raktabija
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
39829
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Kali Conquers Raktabija
description
Devi, the Great Goddess of the Hindu traditions, embodies power and energy ("shakti"), using her strength to defeat demons. The demon Raktabija, however, presented a special challenge. Every time a drop ("bija," “seed”) of his blood ("rakta") fell to the ground, a clone of the demon arose. Devi—seen here riding her lion, energetically wielding weapons in her many arms—created a fearsome emanation of herself, the emaciated goddess Kali. As Kali lapped up Raktabija’s blood, she was able to defeat him.
provenance
John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 2001, by gift.
date
1775-1800
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Manuscripts & Rare Books
miniatures (paintings)
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
21.9
height
28.9
dimensionsRaw
8 5/8 x 11 3/8 in. (21.9 x 28.9 cm)
Source extras
med
pigments on paper
creator_ids
2191
collection_ids
INT
exhibition_ids
2071
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
eb69ecdb3f1b0bd7