Yes, she seems to have been a popular subject in Kalighat painting. Officially it’s supposed to be a black cat, as in this splendid one in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, but often it isn’t: http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/88464.html

I am told that there is a temple of ‘Ma Shoshthi’ (with cat vāhana) in Kolkata, but I cannot find any pictures or information online. I am probably hampered by my lack of Bengali, as I wouldn’t be able to pick up if e.g. someone blogged about visiting it.

Valerie J Roebuck

On 16 Mar 2014, at 06:53, Mary Storm <mnstorm@mac.com> wrote:

You have probably seen these, but just in case:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shashthi

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/d4/dc/a9/d4dca99836a0da3926906d3986912200.jpg

Mary Storm


On 15-Mar-2014, at 10:22 pm, Valerie J Roebuck <vjroebuck@btinternet.com> wrote:

Speaking of vāhanas, can anyone point me to a painting - or even a sculpture - of Ṣaṣṭhī Devī with her cat? I have found some nice Kalighat paintings, but nothing earlier. 

Valerie J Roebuck

On 15 Mar 2014, at 16:08, rajam <rajam@earthlink.net> wrote:

Many thanks to everyone for the information! As I confessed at the outset, I don’t know much about these things; and, many traditional scholars (of Sanskrit & Tamil & religion) in South India are not in touch with ‘modernism!' So much for our generation gap!

One way to preempt controversy and confusion would be to refer to the source of the art work with acknowledgement. 

Regards,
Rajam


On Mar 15, 2014, at 8:54 AM, Artur Karp <karp@uw.edu.pl> wrote:



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Artur Karp <karp@uw.edu.pl>
Date: 2014-03-15 16:53 GMT+01:00
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] (no subject)
To: rajam <rajam@earthlink.net>




2014-03-15 15:58 GMT+01:00 rajam <rajam@earthlink.net>:

I do not know much about these things, but received a comment from a friend in India that "the Chinnamasta Devi does not have a lion for her vehicle.”

May I know the source of the picture on the cover, so I can write to him and clear his doubt? (He is not a member of this group.)

Thanks,
Rajam


On Mar 15, 2014, at 5:15 AM, Stella Sandahl <ssandahl@sympatico.ca> wrote:

Congratulations! Cover picture wonderful. 
Hope your book will not offend anybody's religious or other feelings.
Stella Sandahl
--
Stella Sandahl



On 2014-03-15, at 12:14 AM, Mary Storm wrote:

Dear Indologists

As Etta James, sang “At Last…”

I am happy to announce the publication of my book Head and Heart: Self-Sacrifice in the Art of India, published by Routledge in August 2013.

My thanks to all of you who offered help and support over the years.

Mary Storm

Mary Storm, Ph.D.
Academic Director
India: National Identity and the Arts
and
Himalayan Buddhist Art and Architecture
F 301 Lado Sarai
New Delhi


artBuy Head and Heart : Valour and Self Sacrifice in the Art of India: Book
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