Goddess of the Week: Ganga Devi - New Picture in Group homepage

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River Goddess Ganga on Her Fish Mount.

 

The goddess Ganga, garbed in pink-tinged white garments and holding

aloft a water pot and lotus flower, sits on a large fish in the midst

of a Himalayan pool. The cool silvery tones of the mountain peaks,

flowing waters, and the fair-skinned goddess on her vehicle evoke the

pure waters she represents. Ganga Devi descended from the heavens

into the Himalayas and from there she flowed into the Indian plains.

Ganga Devi is thus a bridge from the heavens to the earth, and

devotees who bathe in the river or are cremated by its banks are

released from the cycle of mundane existence.

 

India, Punjab Hills, Mandi, ca. 1815. Opaque watercolor and gold on

paper. From San Diego Museum of Art: Edwin Binney 3rd Collection.

 

Om ParaShaktiye Namaha