Processional busts, popularly known as masks (mohra), are carried on palanquins in Hindu religious fairs in Himachal Pradesh, particularly during the Dussehra festival held in October in Kullu. They are displayed in groups on wooden frames covered with brocaded silk and cotton. This bust of the Hindu goddess Mujuni Devi (variant name of Mahadevi) depicts her wearing an elaborate crown with lotus medallions alternating with pyramidal forms, circular studded ear ornaments, a beaded necklace with a quadripartite pendant, armlets on her thin arms along the outer sides, and a serpent draped around her neck. She has a wide face, large almond-shaped eyes, a third eye in her forehead, and pronounced nipples. The bust has been stylistically attributed to the Cis-Sutlej region (?), in present-day Panjab, India, circa 1400. (M. Postel, A. Neven, and K. Mankodi, Antiquities of Himachal (Bombay: Franco-Indian Pharmaceuticals, 1985): 208, fig. 328).
