In Kolkata, the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture is set to present “Mahamaya”, a special exhibition celebrating the timeless legacy of Goddess Durga. The show will take place from September 18-20, 2025.
Over 32 exhibitors from across West Bengal are participating, bringing together rare coins, vintage stamps and labels, lithographs, oleographs, offset prints, and vintage photographs in a richly curated display.
Visitors will also have access to historical brass utensils used in Puja rituals, some belonging to heritage families like the Sabarna Roy Chowdhury lineage, lending depth and material authenticity to the cultural narrative.
The exhibit’s curators aim to explore multiple facets of Durga — her diverse forms like Annapurna, Ugrachanda, Bhima Bhairavi, Uma, Gauri — as well as her symbolic and aesthetic depictions across regions.
One special feature is how the exhibit connects Bengal’s local devotional and artistic traditions to wider Asian cultural influences. For example, depictions and artefacts from Nepal, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, and Tibet highlight cross-cultural reverence and iconographic exchange.
Traditional Patachitra scroll paintings are also part of the show, tracing how older art forms adapted through time and medium, interacting with prints, photos, and other kinds of visual culture.
The collaboration between the local cultural organisation ‘Heritage and We’ and the Ramakrishna Mission reflects a broader commitment to preserve artistic heritage, deepen public awareness, and provide a space where art and devotion meet.
For Exhibition Globe readers — curators, artists, organisers — “Mahamaya” is a meaningful example of how exhibitions rooted in local culture can also have universal resonance. It shows how artefacts, narrative, and regional heritage can be shaped into engaging, multilayered exhibitions.
