Women's Power

A celebration of Devi (Great Goddess)—and of women—Shalinee Kumari’s painting interprets and inventively combines traditional visual references to make new meaning, one particularly resonant in today’s world.

A three-headed and multi-armed goddess emerges from a lotus. Conveying her immense and numerous powers, she holds symbolic objects associated with various Hindu deities: a conch and discus (with Vishnu, considered the supreme god by devotees), a lamp (with Lakshmi, goddess of good fortune), and a book (with Sarasvati, goddess of knowledge). The goddess’s lower half incorporates the image of Ardhanarishvara, who is Shiva combined with the goddess Parvati as “The Lord Who Is Half Female.” The goddess is shown standing on male corpses—a type of image seen in esoteric tantric goddess worship (especially as Bhadrakali, the auspicious form of Kali).

Through composition and symbolism, Shalinee Kumari’s mighty goddess embodies the power of women, as the painting’s title suggests.