Hindu Goddess Annapurana is an aspect of Goddess Parvati, the consort of Shiva. Her name being acombination of two words- ‘Anna’ meaning food and ‘purna’ meaning ‘filled completely’, Devi Annapurna is the goddess of food and kitchen. She is the goddess of nourishment and never lets her devotees stay without food. She is also considered to be the goddess of Kashi in Uttar Pradesh. Kashi or Varanasi is called the city of light as the goddess does not only provide nourishment to the body, it also provides nourishment to the soul in the form of enlightenment. She gives us the energy to attain knowledge.

Once Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati were engaged in a game of dice. Lord Shiva lost everything, including his trident and begging bowl.Shiva felt very humiliated and went to Deodar forest to meet Lord Vishnu and told him everything about what had happened. Lord Vishnu then told Shiva to play the game again. He told him that he will win back everything he had lost in the next game. Shiva took Lord Vishnu’s advice and went back to play the game again.

Goddess Parvati became suspicious of Shiva’s sudden turn of fortunes that led him to win back everything. She called him a cheat. This led to an argument between the two of them. Finally, Lord Vishnu appeared as he could not take the fight anymore. He told them that the dice in the game had moved according to his wish and they were only under an illusion that they had been playing.To this,Lord Shiva added that everything materialistic, including food, was just an illusion or Maya. This enraged Goddess Parvati as she did not agree that food was an illusion. She said that calling food an illusion was equivalent to calling her an illusion. So, in order to show Lord Shiva and the world her importance, she disappeared saying that she wanted to see how the world would survive without food.

Her disappearance meant that Nature came to a standstill. There were no changes in seasons and the earth became barren. The lands became infertile and nothing grew anymore. This led to severe drought and a huge shortage of food.

The Gods, humans and demons all kept praying for food. Goddess Parvati heard the prayers and she could not see her children perishing out of hunger. So she appeared in Kashi (Varanasi) and started distributing food.

Shiva realized his mistake and the fact that he was incomplete without Shakti. So he appeared before Goddess Parvati in Kashi with a begging bowl in his hands. He said her that he had realized his mistake that food could not be dismissed as an illusion and it was required to nourish the body as well as the inner soul. Since then, Goddess Parvati is worshipped as the Goddess of food – Annapurna Devi. It is believed that if the food is cooked with a spirit of holiness, it becomes sacred as Goddess Annapurna blesses it.

Benefits of having Goddess Annapurna Painting

The blessings of Annapurna fulfill, not only the material needs but also the spiritual requirements of the devotees. There will never ever be any shortage of food or other essentials in your homes. Her grace can also bestow health, wealth and prosperity, while married women can hope for the long life of their husbands and a happy married life. She is represented as beyond Maya (illusion) and is the supreme goddess of the whole universe. She eradicates fear and bestows protection and welfare.

Pieter Weltevrede - is a Master “Sacred-Artist” based out of the Nederlands. After a many years of guidance, under his guru Late Harish Johari a successful author, a gifted painter and sculptor, a lifetime scholar, an inspiring teacher, a splendid cook, an ayurvedic massage miracle, etc., Pieter embarked on his own journey amalgamating ancient Indian knowledge with his own western sensibilities evolving an art form that appeals to todays international audience. He has been practising his art form from the last 40 years now.

His original paintings are in water colours on silk with a wash-technique that gives them a very three-dimensional feel. The complexity and detail in his works are a super-human endeavour as he continues to live a mundane life travelling between the Western World and India.

Printed on coated matt paper by inkjet printer, using ultra chrome inks with an off-white paper mounting with golden border, and encased inside a fibre frame with acrylic sheet cover in the front.

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