Temple painting, tabing, on cotton fabric showing a Hindu mythological scene, Mandara Giri. The gods and demons are obtaining Tirtha Amerta, the water of life, by churning the ocean of milk using the mountain Mandara. Demons, on the right, and deities, on the left, turn the mountain using the Naga Basuki as a rope. Wisnu presides. The white horse, Ucaisrawa, churned from the ocean of milk, can be seen near the centre of the painting. Towards the bottom is Akupara, king of the turtles, who is supporting the mountain Mandara while it is turned. Right at the bottom is the head of Kala Rauh, one of the demons, who disguised himself as a god and swallowed some of the Tirtha Amertha, the holy water which arose from the sea of milk, and which once drunk confers immortality. He has swallowed some but his head is cut off by Wisnu's cakra before he can drink more, so only his head is immortal. The cakra is visible to the right of Kala Rauh's head. To left and right at the bottom of the picture are the four panasar, or servants, from left to right Merdah, Twalen, Delem and Sangut. [Textile]
temple painting (ritual & belief: ritual apparatus); textile
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