Fine and rare tantric painting - Goddesses of Knowledge

Description:

Rajasthan, 19th c.
38 x 27 cm
In Tantrism, ten goddesses are worshipped as embodiments of the ten forms of knowledge (Sanskrit: daśamahāvidyā). By worshipping these deities, the faithful hope to gain access to the hidden magical knowledge in order to come closer to salvation with its help. The painting shows a series of twelve Mahāvīdyās, which largely correspond to the common lists and have been supplemented by two further goddesses. The names of the partially wrathful goddesses are given in the inscriptions as follows: Śrī Mahākālī, Śrī Gaṇeṣāji, Śrī Mahādevāji, Śrī Benamātāji, Śrī Dhūmāvatī, Śrī Bagalā, Śrī Pītāṃbarī, Śrī Chinnamastā, Śrī Tārā and Śrī Mahālakṣmī (the last two names are not clearly legible).
Published in 'Ritual Art of India', Ajit Mookerjee, Thames and Hudson, London 1985, Nr. 96 und Ajit Mookerjee und Madhu Khanna, 'The Tantric Way', Thames and Hudson, London, 1977, p. 191. - Small damages, minor wear, the lower right corner missing