The Hindu god Shiva is shown carrying the body of his first wife, Sati, who was an avatar of the great mother goddess Shakti. She was later reincarnated as Parvati, Shiva's second wife.

Kalighat painting developed in nineteenth-century Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), in West Bengal. It is named after the celebrated Hindu goddess Kali and had its origins in the folk art tradition of rural Bengal. The 'patuas' or picture makers produced a range of subjects, from religious imagery such as Hindu gods, goddesses and stories, to natural history, social types and proverbs.