Kerala Mural Paintings
Devi with the Sugarcane Bow
The four-armed goddess sitting on a full bloomed lotus, with a sugarcane bow on one hand .
Story
The goddess has an entirely calm expression, her face beneath a tall gold crown and a burning saffron aureole, the eyes long and the mouth barely smiling .
The bow of sugarcane on one hand, drawn as a green segmented cane across the lower half and the arrows of flowers among the leaves.
The dark red and yellow-green garments are patterned in fine cross-hatch and star motifs, the black pearl- ornament drawn dot by dot in white, and the heavy golden earrings and matching necklace add beauty to the painting.
Symbolism
- Noose and goad
- Attachment and aversion, held in the goddess's own hands
- Saffron aureole
- Tejas — the heat and radiance of the divine feminine
