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 Chamunda,
11th century
South Indian, Tamil Nadu, Chola dynasty
Black
dolerite
Founders Society Purchase, L. A. Young Fund
57.88
Chamunda,
or Kali, the Black One as she is sometimes called, is the wrathful manifestation
of the Hindu Mother Goddess who combats and defeats various demons. With forbidding
sensuality, Chamundais identified by her fangs, the serpent that winds around
her waist and over her shoulder, and the ominous image of a ghostly figure floating
headless at her feet. Based on an ancient bloodthirsty tribal goddess, Chamunda
personifies death and destruction; yet Hindu women in childbirth worship her as
she is also the guardian of children. Perhaps the ultimate representation of woman's
life-giving powers and fierce protection of her young, Chamunda nevertheless is
dreaded and her sanctuaries are placed far away from villages.
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