Posted on: 13 September 2012

Consorts of the gods, including Parvati, Kali, Varahi, Brahmani, Chhinnamastika, Vaishnavi, Mahakali.
Watercolour
Faizabad, India - ca. 1774

Gentil; Manuscripts, Col J B J Gentil, Faizabad, ca. 1774. Page number 50 (Gentil numbered two successive pages '22'). Consorts of the gods.

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Rajarshi Nandy: Please complete the list of identification. Which diety is the one riding the "shwan" Sashmashan tara?

Very interesting picture. Satyakam Sudershan, you mean the image to the extreme left of the 2nd row? That is riding a peacock, it seems to me, and therefore must be Kaumari. Astama Adhaya of the Sri Sri Chandi - "Kaumari shaktihasta ca mayuravara vahana.."

The second image from the left in the last row is riding a horse-like creature. If so, then this is one of the 64 yoginis.

Rajarshi Nandy -- I meant the one riding a dog.

Next to that, the Goddess sits on a deadbody. Shava-vahana. That can be Chamunda. "Chamunda-savavahana.." Last one is similar to the 2nd one in the first row. These two can be Kali and/or Tara. Even in Shastras, the technical difference between Kali and Tara is minimal. Tara has a more motherly aspect to Her. The most difficult to identify is the iconography of the last Goddesss in the 2nd row, riding a dog or dog-like creature. Never came across this. Could be another yogini from the 64 yoginis.

Normally, only Bhairava - or Smashan Shiva - rides a dog. In the hierarchy there is the Adya Shakti, the Dasa Mahavidyas, who are clubbed together in the form of Durga with Ten Hands. Surrounding Her are 8 Matrikas. Surrounding them are 64 Yoginis. Over time, Yogini worship has almost stopped. They are fierce and need exacting procedures. They are similar to the 64 Kalas.

The qualities of Godly nature hidden within all the living beings is expressed divinely to understand for the people.

I highly appriciate for the work done.

i would love to get some more resources on the chausat yogini cult - which was a female-dominant cult, and spread across india. strangely, for reasons undocumented, the cult died out in a complete and total wipeout across india. any info by anyone on the chausat (64) yoginis, how they were socially organized, their hierarchies, practices and beliefs would be welcome. i believe that they were a sister cult to the natha-sampradayis, but have been trying to find out more to ratify that.

Is there a higher resolution picture? The text is difficult to read even at high magnification.

these are the Mahavidhyas, aren't they?

depiction of bagalamuki is not correct

beautiful! looks to me that they are the Mahavidyas rather than yoginis or maitrikas...@pankaj sapkal if you want to read more on 64 yogini cults, there are a few ebooks in Google Books...I have read those for research into the female tantric cult

In Orissa you will find 64 yogini temple ...