Vasundhara Devi
Lok Chitrakar, 2018
Mineral paint, gold
160 × 99 cm

The goddess Vasundhara, who holds grain, wealth, gems and knowledge in her hands is venerated by the Buddhist community of Kathmandu. Newar Buddhists practice ritual fasting in honour of Vasundhara.

Vasudhara is the goddess of many objects such as wealth, gems, grains, etc. While Vasu means precious objects such as gold, silver, pearls, ruby, etc., Dhara means the bearer of such objects. As it contains many precious objects, the earth is also called Vasundhara.

In Buddhist communities, Vasudhara also symbolizes wisdom. The primary one of the many forms of Vasudhara is depicted in this painting; she is seen with one head, six arms and seated in the lalitasan position, typically with one leg folded and another extended to the ground.

Her complexion is yellow; in two of her right hands she is seen clasping a string of prayer beads and a gem, while the third hand is in Varada Mudra, the posture of benefaction. In her left hands she holds the Pragya Paramita, an important Buddhist text, a stalk of grain (Dhanyamanjari), and a vessel for water (Kalash). The string of prayer beads symbolises truth and the continuous practice of wisdom. The gems indicate that she fulfils all kinds of wishes. The posture of benefaction indicates that she proffers all kinds of happiness and prosperity. The book Pragya Paramita symbolises the knowledge of nothingness, the stalk of grains indicates guardianship of life and livelihood, while the full water vase is used for anointment, indicating that she gives prosperity and saves devotees from famine. As I understand it, the goddess Vasudhara means earth. We have religious, social and cultural traditions of worshipping Vasudhara, including fasting and various other venerative rituals. The purpose of such rituals is to remind us to value the earth and to continue to keep the earth and environment pure and clean. Newar communities practice the rich tradition of deifying physical objects and worshipping such symbols with great devotion. This painting follows this tradition of seeing physical and spiritual things at the same time. The ritual and philosophy of fasting for Vasudhara reminds us of our duty to protect and conserve everything on earth. My picture depicts Vasudhara Devi as the earth, showing that only by performing the philosophical and spiritual practices associated with her can we save the earth and continue to preserve it for the future. My picture may be divided into three parts: sky, earth, and water. It shows that all plant and animal life on this earth is divine and invaluable and gives joy to the whole earth. This is depicted in the many flowers, fruits, caves, waves of water, and stone inscriptions on a rock cave. My paintings are based on traditional materials, techniques, and styles. The two- dimensional paintings prioritize line work.