Durga and Kali Approach the Gathered Armies of Chanda and Munda: Scene from the Devi Mahatmya

Durga and Kali Approach the Gathered Armies of Chanda and Munda: Scene from the Devi Mahatmya

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The second great battle in the Devi Mahatmya occurs when Durga tells the terrible demon Shumbha that she will only marry a man who defeats her in battle. He responds by sending the demons Chanda and Munda and their armies to drag her back by her hair for her insolence. After Durga manifests Kali from her brow, the two enter the battle. This work directly corresponds to the text, which describes Kali, looking gruesome with emaciated skin, devouring elephants and riders by pulverizing them with her teeth. This preparatory sketch includes color notations and initial coloring. The page was overlaid with a grid, presumably to allow the image to be transferred or enlarged.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Durga and Kali Approach the Gathered Armies of Chanda and Munda: Scene from the Devi MahatmyaDurga and Kali Approach the Gathered Armies of Chanda and Munda: Scene from the Devi MahatmyaDurga and Kali Approach the Gathered Armies of Chanda and Munda: Scene from the Devi MahatmyaDurga and Kali Approach the Gathered Armies of Chanda and Munda: Scene from the Devi MahatmyaDurga and Kali Approach the Gathered Armies of Chanda and Munda: Scene from the Devi Mahatmya

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.