The Goddess Annihilates the Demon Raktabija, from a Devi-Mahatmya
1640
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1640
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Goddess Annihilates the Demon Raktabija, from a Devi-Mahatmya is a 1640 unspecified by Unknown, a Baroque work, depicting Madhya Pradesh, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A fierce goddess with many arms dances on a demon’s body. She sticks out a long red tongue to catch drops of blood before they hit the ground. Around her, smaller demons rise from the spilled blood. This painting shows a Hindu myth where the goddess Kali fights a demon who clones himself from every blood drop. Her tongue stops the blood from touching the earth, so no new demons can form. The bright colors and busy scene make the battle feel alive. If you like this, look up more works from central india, madhya pradesh, malwa.
The demon Raktabija had received a boon that from each drop of his blood that falls on the ground, a new demon would arise. When the Goddess wounded Raktabija in combat, and drops of his blood fell on the ground and generated new Raktabijas, she extended her tongue to catch every drop before it hit the ground. Here she is shown lapping up Raktabija himself.
The painting also depicts Hanuman, the monkey god, fighting for the Goddess.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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