"Untitled" (2001) by Francis Newton Souza

"Untitled" (2001) by Francis Newton Souza (1924-2002).

Francis Newton Souza was born on April 12, 1924, in Saligoa, Goa, India, and died in Mumbai, India, on March 28, 2002, at the age of 77. He was the first of India's modern painters to achieve high recognition in the West. His work is in major museum collections around the world including the Tate. He left India in 1949 to live in London, moving to New York in 1967. New York remained his domicile until his death.

(image source).

Yakshini (2nd c. AD)

Rail Post with a Yakshi, India, Mathura region, Red sandstone, Kushan period, 2nd c. AD (source)

Yakshini (ca. 200 B.C.)

Yakshini, ca. 200 B.C. (source)

Yakshinis (also called yaksinis or yaksis) are benevolent mythical beings of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain mythology. A yakshini is the female counterpart of the male yaksha, and they both attend on Kubera (also called Kuber), the Hindu god of wealth who rules in the mythical Himalayan kingdom of Alaka. They both look after treasure hidden in the earth and resemble that of fairies. Yakshinis are often depicted as beautiful and voluptuous, having large curves and wide hips. In the Uddamareshvara Tantra, thirty-six yakshinis are described, including their mantras and ritual prescriptions. A similar list of yakshas and yakshinis is given in the Tantraraja Tantra, where it says that these beings are givers of whatever is desired. (source)