Shri Tripur Saunhar

This is an oleograph of “Tripur Saunhar” (Tripurantakamurti) by the artist B.R. Kumbhar from 1934. This striking image depicts Shiva in the act of destroying the three fortresses of the Asuras. According to legend, Brahma gifted an aerial city to the three sons of the asura Taraka. They became very proud and harassed the gods, who approached Shiva for help. The three cities revolved in the skies and would only occasionally converge. The way to destroy them was to wait for this moment and hit them with a single arrow. This is the moment depicted in the image with Shiva riding on a magical chariot,  raising his bow and arrow to shoot them down. The chariot is driven by the God Brahma, and Nandi stands in the left corner of the image.