Madura Coats - Dakshinamurthy

This 1946 calendar of the Madura Mills was printed at the end of the Britist rule in India as India secures its' indenecdence in 1947. The Madura Mills had its' headquarters at Madurai, the famous temple town in present day Tamil Nadu. The province is referred to as the Madras Presidency. During the British rule, India had three Presidencies or administrative divisions: the Bengal Presidency with its' capital in Calcutta (now Kolkata), the Bombay Presidency with its' capital in Bombay (now Mumbai) and the Madras Presidency with its' capital at Madras (now Chennai). Madurai fell within the Madras Presidency. This calendar is entitled Shiva, the supreme Guru. It is painted by an unknown Madurai artist and depicts Shiva in his form as Dakshinamurthy or the God of Learning. He is seated with four arms, the primary hands holding a book (pustaka) and with the gesture of knowledge (chin mudra). Ravi Varma painted a similar theme which was entitled Shankar when printed in the form of a Lithograph.