Matrika or mother-goddesses are the potent and warring aspects of Devi Durga who emerged during her war with the demon Rakta-Bija. In the Hindu-Tantra system, the number of these Matrikas is Seven (Sapta-Matrika) or Eight (Ashta-Matrika), worshipped as powerful protector goddesses, each one of them ruling over a sphere and holding the ability to bestow supremely powerful rewards on the devotee.
In this Newari brocadeless Thangka, you see the Matrika Kaumari (not to be confused with Nepali Kumari or living goddess) who emerged from goddess Lalita as a youthful, gleaming Devi who is exalted by her followers as the guide who leads them to the depths of their own heart and helps them attain the cosmic consciousness- “Parama-Brahmana”.
The pious city of Bhaktapur (city of devotees) in Nepal Valley is protected by the energies of Kaumari who rules over the southern bounds of the region.
(Masterpiece from The Collection of Rajendra Raj Bajracharya)
Kaumari is the brilliant light of consciousness (Chidagni) that becomes one’s guide on the journey to the interiors of one’s mind- a fact which is stunningly depicted in this Kaumari Thangka with the use of a flaming background that appears to be emanating from the brilliant red body of Kaumari.
The red color of her form symbolizes the unbounded valor which Matrika possesses owning to her constant associations with the battlefield and Kumara or Kartikeya who is the commander-in-chief of the army of gods. The ferocious battling nature of Kaumari in this brocadeless Thangka is presented through her ethereal adornment that perplexes the onlooker and captivates the devotee.
Kaumari wears a jeweled five-pronged crown with flags (a symbol of victory) and skulls (a symbol of victory over death) forming its embellishment. Her glowing face with perfected and youthful feminine features and the third eye hint at her prowess as a riveting embodiment of supreme wisdom. Round gold earrings, two gemmed necklaces, and a long silver chain with a pendant, girdle, and ankle bracelets provide the mother-goddess with suitable ornamentation.
A garland of severed heads, with each one of them carrying distinctive facial expressions, frames the elegant torso of Kaumari while highlighting her ferociousness against the forces of evil. A yellow blouse, bright red dhoti (lower body garment), lavender kayabandha (waist cloth), and pink scarf form the attire of the heavenly goddess, with their folds and flows brilliantly outlined by the strokes of the artist’s brush in this Newari Paubha.
The mother goddess is four-armed and holds a sword and shield in her secondary hands, while in her primary right hand she has a skull cup embellished with golden head motifs on its rim. Kaumari's left hand is in the “Bindu-Kapala Mudra” – a hand gesture unique to the Kathmandu Valley that signifies the flicking of blood drops as an offering to any deity in Tantra rituals.
Kaumari has her legs placed apart on the flower and leaf in the lotus pond. Her swaying scarf, swinging jewelry, and the position of her legs convey that the goddess has just descended from her heavenly realm into the cosmic waters of existence marked by the lotus-covered sources of water beneath her.
The Mayura or peacock who is the bird mount of the goddess is painted in this Kaumari Thangka as a sturdy being, devoid of the generalized delicateness that is linked with this mystical bird. Accompanying the warrior-goddess, the bird to embodies qualities of a great combatant which are underlined in the sharpness of its features and a distinctive musculature discernible on its blue neck.
With no watertight lines, the artist has diagonally divided this painting into two equally mesmerizing halves- in the right half is the vigorousness of red and its shades and in the left is the depth and tranquility of green and its complementing hues. Enthralling force and otherworldly serenity, the divinity of goddess Kaumari holds sway over both.
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