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{{Short description|1630s Mughal painting attributed to Payag}}
{{Infobox artwork
| image = The Goddess Bhairavi Devi with Shiva MET DP257990.jpg
| artist = [[Payag]]
| medium = Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
| movement = [[Mughal painting]]
| year = {{circa|1630–35}}
}}
'''''The Goddess Bhairavi Devi with Shiva''''' is a 17th-century [[Mughal painting]], attributed to the artist [[Payag]]. It depicts the goddess [[Bhairavi]] along with her consort [[Shiva]], and is set in a [[Shmashana|cremation ground]]. It is now in the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Attributed to Payag – The Goddess Bhairavi Devi with Shiva |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/457743 |access-date=2025-11-24 |website=[[The Metropolitan Museum of Art]] |language=en |archive-date=2025-11-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251126232545/https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/457743 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Background==
[[Mughal painting|Mughal paintings]] from the reign of the emperor [[Akbar]] depicting [[Hinduism|Hindu]] subjects are common, since the emperor commissioned many illuminated manuscripts regarding Hindu topics. This painting, however, is a late Mughal work, datable to around 1630–35, during the reign of the emperor [[Shah Jahan]]. Hindu portrayals during the art of this period are rare, and a [[Shaivism|Shaivite]] image such as this would have been seen as heretical, and would not have been commissioned for a royal album.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Welch |first=Stuart Cary |author-link=Stuart Cary Welch |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4rufAAAAMAAJ |title=Indian Art & Connoisseurship: Essays in Honour of Douglas Barrett |pages=325–335 |chapter=The two worlds of Payag – further evidence on a Mughal artist |date=1995 |publisher=Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts |isbn=978-0-944142-68-4 }}</ref><ref name=":1" />

An inscription on the back of the painting notes that it was part of the royal collection of the [[Kingdom of Mewar]]. This has led to the hypothesis that the work might have been commissioned by Shah Jahan as a gift to [[Jagat Singh I]], the ruler of Mewar, and an important ally of the emperor. It is known that Jagat Singh was a devotee of the goddess [[Bhairavi]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" />

== Description ==
[[File:The_Goddess_Bhairavi_Devi_with_Shiva_MET_DP257990_(cropped_to_include_only_the_goddess).jpg|thumb|The blood-red goddess is seated upon a headless corpse. She has four arms, and is wearing a skirt made up of skulls.]]
[[File:The_Goddess_Bhairavi_Devi_with_Shiva_MET_DP257990_(cropped_to_include_only_Shiva).jpg|thumb|[[Shiva]] is depicted in the form of a light-complexioned naked ''[[sadhu]]'', wearing a garland made up of skulls.]]
The painting depicts the goddess [[Bhairavi]], a terrible [[Avatar|''avatar'']] of [[Parvati]]. She is seated along with her consort [[Shiva]], and is set amidst a [[Shmashana|cremation ground]]. There are seven burning funerary [[Pyre|pyres]], representative of the fire god [[Agni]]. The smoke from four of these pyres forms coils in the form of clouds, reaching into the otherwise sunny sky. The ground is littered with human remains in various states of decay, including skulls, bones, and decapitated heads. Carrion-eating jackals are also present.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Kossak |first=Steven |url=http://archive.org/details/IndianCourtPainting16th19thCentury |title=Indian Court Painting, 16th–19th Century |date=1997 |pages=52 |language=English}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Diamond |first=Debra |url=http://archive.org/details/yogaartoftransfo0000diam |title=Yoga: The Art of Transformation |date=2013 |publisher=Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution |isbn=978-0-934686-26-6 |pages=196–197}}</ref>

The four-armed goddess sits upon a headless corpse. Her body is blood-red, and this color is achieved using [[cinnabar]]. She has a fierce expression, and blood pours out from her mouth. She is wearing a skirt made up of skulls and severed heads. Her earrings as well as a garland around her neck are also composed of skulls. She also wears bangles and a necklace, made out of gold, studded with jewels. A divine [[Halo (religious iconography)|halo]] is present around her head, and she is crowned by a crescent moon. Horns in the form of spearheads rise from her jet-black hair, which reach down to her waist.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKQaAVYd6r8 |title=Esoteric Visions: The Goddess Bhairavi Devi by the Mughal Artist Payag {{!}} Insider Insights |date=2020-10-10 |last=The Met |access-date=2025-11-24 |via=YouTube |archive-date=2026-01-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260109075329/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKQaAVYd6r8 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In one hand, she holds the freshly decapitated head, possibly of the corpse upon which she sits. This head is held by a tuft of hair, which might be a ''[[Shikha (hairstyle)|shikha]]''. This would indicate that the head is of a [[Brahmin|''brahmin'']], perhaps symbolizing the goddess's power over all beings, including members of the priestly class. In another hand, she is holding a sword, the style of which is typical to the reign of Shah Jahan, and which represents her destructive power. In yet another hand, she holds a ''[[Trishula|trishul]]''. Finally, her fourth hand is raised in a [[Abhayamudra|gesture of blessing]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" />

Along with the goddess is her consort Shiva, whose light-complexioned portrayal displays a [[Art of Europe|European]] influence. He is depicted in the form of a young ''[[sadhu]]'', with ash smeared all over his body. He looks towards the goddess adoringly. Orange flames emanate from his mouth, and this likely indicates that he is uttering a sacred ''[[mantra]]''. The fire also may represent ''[[prana]]'', a divine breath of life. A halo surrounding Shiva's head is less elaborate than the one possessed by the goddess. A crescent moon floats above his head, constituting a diadem. His golden locks of hair symbolise the flowing waters of the river [[Ganges]], and around his neck, he wears a garland consisting of skulls. Nearby stands Shiva's trident, containing upon it a [[rumāl|''rumāl'']] and a [[damaru|''damaru'']].<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" />

The painting is extended beyond the golden border into cream-colored paper. At the top of the paper, the name "Śrī Bhairavī Devī" is written in [[Devanagari]]. The cream extension contains birds flying overhead, jackals, a lion (the [[Vahana|mount]] of the goddess), and ''[[rakshasa]]'' figures saluting the goddess.<ref name=":2" />

==References==
{{reflist}}{{Metropolitan Museum of Art}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Goddess Bhairavi Devi with Shiva, The}}
[[Category:1630s paintings]]
[[Category:Hindu goddesses in art]]
[[Category:Indian paintings]]
[[Category:Mughal art]]
[[Category:Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art]]
[[Category:Shiva in art]]
[[Category:Watercolor paintings]]
[[Category:Indian artefacts held abroad]]

The Goddess Bhairavi Devi with Shiva - Revision history

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