Varahi seated on a tiger — Lalita Kapilavai
© Lalita Kapilavai. Sacred Art & Carnatic Music Archive. Digital reproduction, automated screen captures, and unauthorized printings are strictly prohibited.

Varahi seated on a tiger
Natural pigments, shell gold, shell silver, beetle wings on handmade paper • L= 21.7cms; W= 20.3cms
Varahi seated on a tiger
Iconographic Commentary & Symbolism
This powerful yet benign forms of devi is the shakti form of Varaha, the Vishnu incarnate. She is seen riding on a tiger bearing ten different weapons in her arms. Her attributes are symbolic of her power as she strides across the plain with the intention of saving the world from evil threats. The hind feet of the tiger goes beyond the border indicating movement in the painting, a feature that is commonly found in many paintings of the Basohli tradition. The image of devi occupies the entire landscape providing no room for any other elements signifying cosmic force and her omnipresence.
