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The forest goddess Parnashavari is easily recognized by her distinctive garland and skirt made of thatched green leaves. She is associated with the Shavari tribe of ancient India and is an example of an Indian folk deity who has been absorbed into Tantric Buddhism. She is associated with the practice of healing, particularly curing contagious diseases and suppressing epidemics. Her central face is semi-wrathful with a furrowed brow and bearing tiny fangs. In one of her hands she holds a fan of new leaves, heavy with fruit and flowers. She is here associated with Buddha Akshobhya, represented at the top center, and another wrathful goddess with six arms underneath her.
Forest Goddess Parnashavari
OriginCentral Tibet
Date19th century
Dimensions64 1/2 × 29 in. (estimated)
MediumPigments on cloth
Classification(s)
Credit LineRubin Museum of Art
Object numberC2003.36.3
Himalayan Art Resources Number65302
DescriptionThe unusually large dimensions of this painting suggest that it was intended as a mural; the painted cloth would be glued to a temple wall. This technique is most common from the nineteenth century onward. That the deities are set in a common landscape is almost imperceptible due to the almost baroque density of the composition, with deities, halos, and lotuses cut off at the edges of the canvas. The rich jewelry with thick pearls, the flower-studded background, the almost abstract rendering of the rocks, and the variety of halo forms used in this painting are also typical of the nineteenth century.The forest goddess Parnashavari is easily recognized by her distinctive garland and skirt made of thatched green leaves. She is associated with the Shavari tribe of ancient India and is an example of an Indian folk deity who has been absorbed into Tantric Buddhism. She is associated with the practice of healing, particularly curing contagious diseases and suppressing epidemics. Her central face is semi-wrathful with a furrowed brow and bearing tiny fangs. In one of her hands she holds a fan of new leaves, heavy with fruit and flowers. She is here associated with Buddha Akshobhya, represented at the top center, and another wrathful goddess with six arms underneath her.
Not on view
19th century
14th century
10th century
20th century
19th century
17th century
15th century
20th century
late 18th – early 19th century
19th century
15th century