Not currently on view
In the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · as of August 2026
FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART’S CATALOG
Sheetala, the smallpox goddess, is simultaneously benevolent and dangerous: she can both protect and infect, bless and curse devotees with smallpox and other diseases. Persons scarred by smallpox are believed to have been graced by her. She is appeased so that she does not infect her worshippers. Her name, Sheetala, “Cool One,” refers to her birth out of a cooled sacrificial fire. The rippled curtains above her are suggestive of theatrical tableau and Sheetalapala (The Drama of Sheetala) that was performed in Bengal. She sits astride her vehicle ( vahana ), the donkey, regarded as an inauspicious animal.
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Durga Killing the Demon Mahisha
The Goddess Ganga
Krishna as Kali worshipped by Radha (recto), from a Kalighat
Leaf from a Kalighat album: Sheetaladevi: The Smallpox Godde
Kali Enshrined (verso), from a Kalighat album
Ganesha-Janani (Mother of Ganesh)
Kali Standing on Shiva (verso), from a Kalighat album
Goddess Mangala, from a Devi Series
Gajalakshmi: Lakshmi with Elephants
The Goddess Ganga, from a Kalighat album
The Goddess Kali (recto), from a Kalighat album