CENTRAL INDIA, 8TH-9TH CENTURY

This striking and well-preserved relief depicts the saptamatrikas, or seven divine mothers, in dynamic dance. In early Indian sculpture, including during the Kushan period (CE first-third century), the matrikas were initially represented as ferocious and dangerous, often shown eating children. In later traditions, such as in the present relief, they come to represent protective motherly deities and became associated with the cults of Shiva and his son, Skanda. In some traditions, such as the Devi Mahatmya, the matrikas are borne out of Durga’s struggle with the demon, Mahishasura; taking on the attributes of their associated male deities, the matrikas help to defeat the demon armies of Mahishasura. Following in this tradition, each matrika can usually be identified by certain iconographic attributes, such as the implements they carry or their vahanas (mounts), corresponding to those of their male aspect. In the present relief, the matrikas can be identified by those attributes as (from left), Brahmani, Maheshvari, Kumari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, Indrani, and Chamunda, flanked on either side by Virabhadra, a form of Shiva, at left and Ganesha at right. One particularly charming quality of the present work is the presence of each matrika’s vahana, to the proper right of each goddess and in most cases looking up towards their faces: starting from left, Brahmani’s goose is followed by Maheshvari’s Nandi (bull), Kumari’s peacock, Vaishnavi’s Garuda, Varahi’s buffalo, Indrani’s elephant, and, more gruesomely, Chamunda’s slayed demon corpse.