Guru Nanak's meeting with the demon Kaliyuga, from a manuscript of the Janam Sakhi (Life Stories)

Janam Sakhi manuscripts, like other South Asian religious literature, recount mythological as well as historical events, placing the guru within and beyond conventional time in a way that would be readily understood by his devotees. In one account, Guru Nanak and his companions met the demoness Kaliyuga, the personification of the age of decline and evil. The frightening demoness appeared before Nanak and tried to seduce him with promises of wealth, women, magical abilities, and kingly powers. Refusing these temptations, Nanak insisted that he sought only one thing: the shelter of God.

A primary attribute of this demoness is her long, fearsome tongue. In the picture, Guru Nanak has grabbed her tongue and she is apparently subdued.

Nanak and his party have reached Kaliyuga’s island abode by boat. The red banner at the back of their vessel is similar in color and shape to the Sikh standard seen elsewhere in this exhibition.