INDIA, RAJASTHAN, 19TH CENTURY

This painting represents Hanuman in his cosmic form, Pancha Mukha. The representation celebrates his most heroic feat— bringing Mount Vindaya, with all its medicinal herbs, to Rama and Lakshmana. Hanuman is depicted boldly striding forward, trampling on demons and brandishing an array of weapons and other attributes as he makes his way back to his Lord. In this tantric form, he has twelve arms, and five heads. While often times, these heads are represented as concentric faces, in the present example, the faces are alluded to through the mule, lion and horse heads appearing from his crown.