  About the Artwork
  
  
  In this painting, Devi, considered the supreme Goddess in Hindu traditions, slays a demon named Dhumra-Lochana, Sanskrit for “Smoky-Eyes.” Seated on a lotus in her mountain abode, Devi wields swords, knives, a bow and arrows, and other threatening weapons in her eighteen hands. However, it is through the power of her voice alone that she defeats this demon. As Smoky-Eyes rushes at her, she bellows the sound “Hmmmmm!” and reduces him to ashes.


This painting once belonged to a manuscript of a Sanskrit devotional text called the Devi Mahatmya, which recounts Devi’s heroic feats. Throughout the narrative, the Goddess takes on many forms and is known by many names. In the verse inscribed on the back of this page, she is called Ambika.
  
  
  Title
  Devi Slaying the Demon Dhumra-Lochana
  
  
  Artwork Date
  ca. 1730
  
  Artist
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  Life Dates
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  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  Indian
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
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  Medium
  Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
  
  
  Dimensions
  Sheet: 5 1/4 × 7 1/4 inches (13.3 × 18.4 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Paintings
  
  
  Department
  Asian Art
  
  
  Credit
  Founders Society Purchase, General Membership Fund
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  26.392.A
  
  
  Copyright
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