Wood Mask: Durga With Family

Aravali brings you a rare Mukha art piece from the local artisans from Bengal's heartland. Dinajpur in West Bengal is the home of the wooden mask makers, known as Mukha. Mukha art is GI-certified by the Government of India. Villagers craft these wooden masks with great devotion and offer them to the deities through the Gomira Dance, a mask-offering ceremony. The villagers believe that these masks invoke good forces and drive out evil spirits.
In the sculpture, we see the story of Mahisasurmardini and the triumph of good over evil, as well as a celebration of the power of women. Goddess Durga took this form and rode a lion to kill the buffalo-headed demon Mahisha. This sculpture also depicts Ganesha, Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Kartik, who are Gods of wisdom, knowledge, prosperity, and beauty. In the eastern Indian traditions, these deities are considered to be Durga's children, and Durga Puja is celebrated every autumn to commemorate Durga's visit as Uma to her parental home with her beloved children. On the top, the sculpture also has Lord Shiva, who is Uma's husband, watching over his family.
This mask is painstakingly handcrafted and takes 6–8 weeks to prepare. Aravali has acquired these very rare and exclusive pieces directly from the artists. This can also be made to order.