Skanda on his peacock

This bold, spontaneous watercolour of the Hindu god Skanda, also known as Karttikeya, is from the Kalighat temple in Kolkata (Calcutta), where thousands of paintings were produced as mementos for pilgrims. Skanda, the eternally youthful Hindu god of war, is Shiva’s son. There are many tales of how Skanda came into being. He is often depicted with six heads, a reference to the legend that he was nursed by six sirens, krittkas, after being found on the bank of the sacred river Ganges.

Text © National Gallery of Australia, Canberra 2011

From: Asian gallery extended display label