Goddess Bhadrakali Worshipped by the Gods is a painting from the Pahari tradition of the Basohli school attributed to artist Kirpal. This school of painting is characterised by vibrant brilliant colours, dark outlines, and religious themes. Here Goddess Bhadrakali is shown standing triumphantly upon the body of a male. Her complexion is in a dark blue tone symbolizing her divine nature. She holds various weapons including swords and a noose and ritual objects that signify her power over both the realms of creation and destruction. A halo surrounds her head and several golden rays portray her divine status. On the left, three Gods are shown paying reverence to her. These are the three principal Gods in Hinduism- Brahma with multiple heads, Vishnu shown in a dark complexion and Shiva with a serpent in his hair. Their folded hands direct attention towards Bhadrakali as the central figure in the artwork. The background is plain and simple with an aim to maintain the viewer's attention on the Goddess and the assembled Gods. Goddess Bhadrakali is an auspicious and warrior like manifestation of Goddess Kali who is mainly worshipped in South India. She is depicted as the fierce protector who destroys demons and restores the cosmic order. Her weapons symbolize the defeat of ignorance, disorder and evil. The contrast between her terrifying power and the devotional reverence of the gods portrays the idea that the Goddess is simultaneously fearsome and benevolent, destructive and protective. Thus, while being a depiction of a mythological episode the painting also portrays that the Divine Feminine is the ultimate source of power in the universe.
This painting is a strong depiction of reverence, devotion, and the power of the divine feminine. To me, what is really interesting is the time period in which this was painted - 17th century, it is remarkable to see such a strong depiction of subservience to the divine feminine. Power, in this painting is not only depicted through the obvious gestures such as the joining of hands, but also through more subtle yet significant details. These include - the notable size difference between Bhadrakali and the gods, the goddess standing on top of a prostrate male figure, the difference in the number of arms between the Trimurti and Bhadrakali, and also the fact that only the Goddess possess weapons while the Gods do not. This depiction of feminine superiority is surprising and deeply moving especially because this piece was painted in a predominantly patriarchal time.
