Dhartari: The creation of the world (detail)

This series illustrates the Warli creation story of the universe and dhartari (the Earth). As the artists recount:

First, in the deep darkness, Mahadev and Ganga-Gauri created themselves as the main source of energy, after which they created the universe. They created some other gods from the same energy source. These included the gods of thunder (Vijesar), clouds (Dhagesar), Sun (Suresar) and Moon (Chandesar). They gave them each different responsibilities and kingdoms to rule. However, the new gods betrayed and disobeyed Mahadeva’s orders, and so Mahadeva destroyed their kingdoms.

Mahedeva then decided to recreate the universe but this time with the earth. Mahadeva and Ganga-Gauri created the Earth with the help of different gods and goddesses and, to give birth to the planet, Ganga-Gauri spread all the seeds of the different lifeforms. Finally, in the end, they created humans. However, they had only created birth on the dhartari. There was no death. Creatures started growing and dhartari started feeling the weight of all the lifeforms’ energies on her. She requested Mahadeva and Ganga-Gauri come up with a solution. Mahadeva then created death to create the cycle of life — in order to keep balance on earth.

It wasn’t enough! So Mahadeva decided to create mahapralay (the flood) on dharthari to destroy what had been created, and for this he chose man, with the name ‘Pandu’. Mahadev and Ganga-Gauri gave Pandu a seed of a water gourd (called taru in this story). They gave him instructions to grow taru for 100 years, and after 100 years Mahadev began the mahapralay to destroy life on the Earth. Pandu made a ship from taru and lived inside for several years with pairs of all the creatures and seeds from earth. All the other creatures died in the water, but when the taru finally touched land, life started again on the planet.