Mahamaya Exhibition at RKM Golpark — As Durga Puja approaches and the city prepares for its annual transformation into a vibrant hub of devotion and artistry, the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture (RKM), Golpark, has opened an extraordinary exhibition titled “Mahamaya.” The three-day cultural showcase celebrates the glory of Goddess Durga through rare artefacts, historical prints, numismatic treasures, and artistic expressions that span centuries and geographies.
Organised in collaboration with Heritage and We, the exhibition is more than just a prelude to Puja—it is a walk through Bengal’s collective memory, its devotional artistry, and the ever-evolving portrayal of the divine feminine.
A Curated Journey into Durga’s Many Forms
The Mahamaya exhibition brings together 32 collectors and exhibitors from across Bengal, each contributing artefacts that highlight Durga’s manifold representations. From the fierce Mahishasuramardini to the nurturing Annapurna, from the graceful Uma to the awe-inspiring Bhairavi, the displays underscore the goddess’s diverse forms and attributes.
The walls are adorned with oleographs and lithographs from the legendary Calcutta Art Studio and Bengal Art Studio, iconic for their 19th and 20th-century religious prints. These rare visuals not only represent devotional art but also illustrate how printmaking brought the goddess into middle-class Bengali homes, turning Durga into a domestic presence beyond temples and pandals.
A striking addition is the 350-year-old brass utensils once used in Durga Puja rituals by the aristocratic Sabarna Roy Chowdhury family. These objects are living relics of a time when zamindar households were centres of elaborate pujas, blending ritual with social gathering, artistry, and hospitality. The patina on these utensils carries centuries of touch, prayer, and reverence.
For more about Bengal’s aristocratic puja traditions, see West Bengal Tourism.
Numismatics and the Global Reach of Durga
The exhibition takes a fascinating turn through the lens of numismatics. Coins and banknotes from Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, and Tibet depict Durga or goddess-like figures, illustrating how the divine feminine has transcended borders and been re-interpreted across cultures.
Sumitro Bandyopadhyay, a noted numismatist, explains that goddess imagery on coins and tokens highlights both faith and politics. Rulers often used divine symbols to legitimise power, and the presence of Durga or her equivalents on foreign currency reveals cultural exchange through trade and migration.
This section of the exhibition not only enriches understanding of Durga’s iconography but also situates Bengal’s devotion within a larger Asian framework of goddess traditions.
For more insights into Asian religious art, explore the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.
Beyond Worship: Durga in Popular Culture
The Mahamaya exhibition does not restrict itself to puja rituals. It explores how Durga’s image has been incorporated into popular and commercial culture over time.
Visitors will find vintage advertising labels, devotional music covers, and festival posters that featured the goddess. These everyday items demonstrate how Durga moved beyond temples to become a cultural icon—appearing on sweets packaging, matchbox covers, and even household goods.
This blending of the sacred and the commercial illustrates how religion in Bengal has always been woven into everyday life, blurring the boundaries between devotion and commerce.
Art, Memory, and Patachitra Traditions
Another highlight is the presence of patachitra art, traditional hand-painted scrolls narrating mythological stories of Durga’s battles and triumphs. These scrolls, painted with natural dyes on cloth, not only depict ritual episodes but also served as tools of oral storytelling when accompanied by folk songs.
This reflects the grassroots dimension of goddess worship—art that was portable, accessible, and deeply local. Unlike the grand pandals of Kolkata, patachitra was often performed in villages, bringing myth to life through song and image.
Learn more about patachitra traditions at the Crafts Council of India.
Curatorial Vision: A Celebration of the Divine Feminine
Curator Souvik Roy emphasises that the exhibition is designed as “a celebration of the divine feminine.” By placing ritual objects, rare prints, and numismatic treasures side by side, the exhibition highlights Durga’s versatility—as nurturer, destroyer, cosmic mother, and cultural emblem.
Artist-historian Asit Paul notes that Mahamaya distinguishes itself by portraying less familiar forms of Durga, such as Annapurna or Bhairavi, alongside the iconic Mahishasuramardini. This offers visitors a holistic understanding of how the goddess’s imagery has evolved across eras and media.
Visitor Experience at RKM Golpark
The atmosphere at RKM Golpark is both academic and spiritual. Soft lighting accentuates brass and lithographs, while explanatory panels guide visitors through Durga’s iconography. Students sketch, elders reminisce about pujas of their youth, and families introduce children to traditions they might otherwise only encounter in pandals.
The setting itself, within the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, adds layers of meaning. Founded with the ideals of Swami Vivekananda, the Mission has long sought to blend cultural preservation with spiritual inquiry, making it a fitting venue for such a celebration.
For details on the Mission’s activities, visit the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture.
Mahamaya Exhibition at RKM Golpark: Broader Cultural Significance
The Mahamaya exhibition resonates beyond its walls:
- Cultural Preservation: It safeguards fragile artefacts and visual traditions in an era of mass-produced idols and digital prints.
- Educational Value: It offers students, scholars, and art enthusiasts a rich field for study in art history, anthropology, and religious studies.
- Tourism Impact: Exhibitions like this contribute to Kolkata’s reputation as a cultural capital, drawing visitors beyond the usual pandal circuit.
- Global Dialogue: By including artefacts from Asia, the exhibition reminds us that goddess traditions are not confined to Bengal—they are part of a shared civilisational heritage.
Challenges in Curating Mahamaya
While the exhibition is widely praised, curators face challenges:
- Preserving fragile items like centuries-old utensils or delicate lithographs under exhibition conditions.
- Balancing devotional narratives with historical and academic framing.
- Deciding which artefacts and forms of Durga to highlight while ensuring representation of folk traditions.
These challenges, however, reflect the vibrancy of cultural heritage work—requiring constant negotiation between preservation, education, and accessibility.
Conclusion: Mahamaya as Living Heritage
The Mahamaya exhibition at RKM Golpark is more than an art show—it is an act of cultural remembrance. By bringing together rare artefacts, devotional prints, numismatic wonders, and folk traditions, it offers a panoramic view of how Bengal and the wider world have envisioned the goddess across time.
As visitors step out of the exhibition hall into the bustling streets of Golpark, they carry with them not just images of Durga, but echoes of chants, smells of incense, the memory of brass utensils, the glow of lithographs, and the stories of ancestors who worshipped the goddess in homes, temples, and festivals.
Mahamaya reminds us that Durga is not only the slayer of demons but also the preserver of culture—a living, evolving force binding past, present, and future.
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