Late 19th century

The Goddess Durga Subduing the Buffalo Demon, Mahishasura

Kalighat paintings were so named because they were originally sold as pilgrims’ souvenirs on the stepped riverbank (ghat) near the temple of the goddess Kali in Kolkata. Such pictures were executed quickly in watercolor on untreated paper, often with shading to represent volume schematically. They depict not only Hindu gods and goddesses, but also sensational local events and everyday scenes representative of moral lessons. One of the most common images is the goddess Durga, who is immensely popular in this region. Here, with many arms but no weapons, she and her lion battle the human form of Mahishasura.