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Chanda andMunda were the servants of Shumbha and Nishumbha, two powerful
demons who had usurped the kingdom of the
devas
. The
devas
approached
Parvati in the Himalayas for help. Heeding their plea, Ambika, an aspect of Parvati,
emanated from her body and dwelt in the mountains. Chanda and Munda were
enraptured by her beauty, and informed their masters about her. Shumbha and
Nishumbha were taken in by their superlative description of the goddess, and sent
their messenger Sugreeva to bring her to them. The latter attempted extolling the
virtues of the demon kings to Ambika, but she declined accompanying him back.
Shumbha and Nishumbha dispatched an envoy of demons to capture the
goddess. When she slayed them all, Chanda and Munda set out to defeat her.
The present lot shows Chanda and Munda seated on elephants, approaching
the goddess with their demon army. The goddess Ambika produced Kali, who
is portrayed here in the most typical iconographic representation – her fierce
form, armed with weapons, a garland of skulls around the neck, and her tongue
sticking out. All the figures, whether Gods, demons or animals, are treated equally
in pictorial terms, and are precisely detailed and filled in with flat, stark colours.
In the story, Kali destroys the army by severing the heads of Chanda and Munda,
thus earning the name Chamunda Devi.
37
FOLIO FROM THE DEVI
MAHATMAYA
MANDI, CIRCA 1770
Inscribed and numbered ‘448’ in
Nagari on the cover page
Gouache on paper heightened with
gold and silver
Image: 9 x 12.5 in (23 x 32.5 cm)
Folio:10.5 x 14 in (27.1 x 36 cm)
Rs 10,00,000 ‒ 15,00,000
$ 14,930 - 22,390
NON‒EXPORTABLE
REGISTERED ANTIQUITY
PROVENANCE
Property from a Distinguished Family
Collection