Goddess Gayatri
Description
Goddess Gayatri is the personified depiction of the Gayatri mantra dedicated to Vedic deity Savitri. Therefore, she is also known as Savitri. She is also called Vedamata (mother of the Vedas) and Saraswati, the goddess of learning.
As depicted in this print Goddess Gayatri is always shown seated on a lotus. She is depicted with five faces with five pairs of hands (dasha-bhuja) holding disc, mace, skull, lotus, conch, elephant goad, noose and her two lower hands in abhaya (gesture of featlessness) and varada mudra(boon giving gesture). Her mount is swan which is also depicted in most of her depictions but not depicted here.
Lithographs and oleographs of Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings depicting the humane look (god in the image of man) became highly popular in early 20th century and were known as ‘god photos’. Such prints were printed in Germany as well as in India in Raja Ravi Varma Press and Chitrashala Press. While Ravi Varma’s original paintings was prerogative enjoyed by aristocratic families, the colourful prints of his religious paintings were within the reach of common man.
Collection
Prints, Drawings and Photographs
Artist
Chitrashala Printing Press
Object Type
Lithograph Print
Material
Paper
Schools/Culture/Period
Chitrashala Print
Technique
Litho press printing
Date
Early 20th Century CE
Location
Pune, Maharashtra
Dimension
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