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Bagalamukhi, the eighth Mahavidya, from a Dashamahavidya series
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This enigmatic painting remains unidentified. Set in a forest teeming with wildlife, a four-armed goddess with three eyes and a crescent moon in her crown shows her dominance over a naked, ashen male figure standing to her left by clutching his tongue. In her right hands, she appears to hold agricultural implements, while in her upper left hand she holds a mace.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineBagalamukhi, the eighth Mahavidya, from a Dashamahavidya series, c. 1725. Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Sirohi; or Northern Deccan, Aurangabad. Gum tempera, gold, and silver on paper; page: 35.6 x 26.7 cm (14 x 10 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund, 2018.200
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