An auspicious diagram (kohbar)

Mahasundari Devi represents here the most traditional and distinctive subject of Mithila art. Celebrating a wedding, powerful and festive wall paintings temporarily transform the bridal chamber (kohbar ghar) from a communal domestic space into a consecrated private one.

This work on paper includes specific symbolic motifs from wall-painting tradition. At center, a large lotus plant with an upright stalk bearing shoots, flowers, and leaves symbolizes female fertility and denotes the presence of the bride. Male regenerative energy is represented by a bamboo grove, abstracted into a motif of intersecting lines (upper right). Birds, fish, bees, snakes, and flowers suggest nature’s fertility and abundance.

The bride and groom arriving in palanquins are shown in the lower corners, and at left are depicted marriage rituals that take place in this room. A protective semidivinity (naina jogin) appears on the four corners. Hindu deities (lower right) add divine auspiciousness to the image.