Varahi On Tiger

This extraordinary painting was created by the master Kripal of Nurpur around 1660-1690. It embodies the early Pahari and Basohli-Nurpur style of painting. The painting from the Tantric Devi series is a reflection of the strong surge in popularity of the Shaktism religion in the Punjab Hills. This page contains a sacred meditative tool (yantra) for the viewer. The painting places the boar headed Goddess onto the back of a tiger. This powerful combination of the two was done by Kripal to highlight the immense power of the universe and celebrates the absolute destruction of evil. This artwork also conveys a sense of escapism from the real world. There are no background details at all which makes the viewer directly interact with the deity. The artwork uses a dark, intense colour palette of fiery reds and oranges to show a sense of Raudra and Veera. The large, striking lotus shaped eyes are characteristic of the time and create a hypnotic cycle of darshan. Kripal created a bold style of painting which was very different to the muted realistic style used during the Mughal period. This painting uses flat areas of bright colours with no blending. The painting has stylised faces with high foreheads. The texture is absolutely stunning. Kripal created this texture by using raised white dots to mimic pearls and real iridescent beetle wings. As a visionary master he passed onto his descendants his technical secrets. Kripal successfully created a balance between the rigid geometric shapes used in religious art with the free flowing nature of spirituality. This created a long lasting dynasty of artists that impacted the future of miniatures in Northern India.