CENTER FOR ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY

Subject: Meghamalhara Ragini depicts Krishna dancing in the rain.; Meghamalhara Ragini

Subject: Dowry Box . Pedis, or dowry boxes are created by chitrakaras and are used to store items of dowries. These are wooden boxes often made of gambhari wood which are covered with cloth canvas and painted over. The boxes may be decorated with scenes from the life of Krishna or they may be decorated with images of musicians and dancers, animals, plants, or other designs. This is a view of a deer.

Subject: Dowry Box. Pedis, or dowry boxes are created by chitrakaras and are used to store items of dowries. These are wooden boxes often made of gambhari wood which are covered with cloth canvas and painted over. The boxes may be decorated with scenes from the life of Krishna or they may be decorated with images of musicians and dancers, animals, plants, or other designs. Top view of the lid. This object has been procured by State Institute for Development of Arts & Crafts (SIDAC) Show House.

Subject: Dashavatara Door Hanging. This is an appliqué door hanging showing the dashavatara or the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The list of included incarnations varies across sects and regions. Most draw from the following set of figures, in this order: Matsya; Kurma; Varaha; Narasimha; Vamana; Parashurama; Rama; Krishna or Balarama; Buddha or Krishna; and Kalki. Such a door hanging is used to ward off negative energy away from the house. Appliqué is an art of cutting and stitching stylized and bold cloth designs onto a piece of base cloth which could be mounted on a frame. Appliqué items are used for ritualistic practices as well as for decorative and utilitarian needs. This object has been loaned by State Institute for Development of Arts & Crafts (SIDAC) Show House.

Subject: Lower left portion, Picnic with the cowherds; Krishna and the cowherd children picnic under a kadam tree, and the gods look down upon them. Brahma teases Krishna by hiding the calves and cowherds in a cave for a year

Subject: Center portion, Krishna and Radha

Subject: Krishna Overcomes the Demon Kaliya - The giant snake Kaliya lives in a whirlpool in the Jumna River, where the cowherds have brought their cattle. They play a game of ball, and Krishna climbs a kadam tree. The ball is thrown up to him but goes into the water. Krishna jumps in after the ball and Kaliya encircles him. Krishna overpowers the snake by dancing on its head. The snake is banished to a distant land.

Subject: Krishna Leela. Krishna Leela consists of Krishna themes but in Odisha we come across themes that are not derived from the Bhagavata Purana. These are called rasa pictures which are special form of erotic games in which gopis or milkmaids have an important role.

Subject: Western Gopuram, Painting to right of entrance door: Krishna and Gopis

Subject: Niche, Krishna scene?

Subject: Vasudeva changes the babies - Left portion, Vasudeva and the infant daughter of Yashoda; Vasudeva carries Krishna to the home of Nanda and Yashoda and substitutes him for the couple's new-born infant daughter.

Subject: Bath of Krishna and Balarama

Subject: Lower middle portion, Krishna and Radha beneath a bower, from a poem by Paramanand Das

Subject: Canto 10, Chapter 72, Krishna Battles Jarasandha

Subject: Krishna Steals the Clothes of the Cowherdesses - Krishna steals the clothes of the gopis, and climbs up into the tree with them.

Subject: Left portion, Radha and attendant; Radha and Attendant Watch Krishna with Gopis

Subject: Leaf from Bhagavata Purana Series [Akrura's Vision of Krishna as God]

Subject: Lower right portion, Musicians; Krishna Celebrating the Holi Festival

Subject: Radha and Krishna on a Bed

Subject: Krishna Navanita-Nartana: Balkrishna or Child Krishna was a favorite with several of the Vaishnava saints. This is the most popular imagery for child Krishna is as a dancing infant, with one hand in the divine gesture of protection (abhaya) and the other stretched out in the movement of the dance. Clothing is absent and child Krishna is clad only in ornaments that include the traditional girdle of bells and range of necklaces, armlets, and anklets.

Subject: Canto 10, Chapter 78, Krishna Kills Dantavakra, the Brother of Sisupala

Subject: Balakrishna: Balkrishna or Child Krishna was a favorite with several of the Vaishnava saints. This is the most popular imagery for child Krishna as a dancing infant, with one hand in the divine gesture of protection (abhaya) and the other stretched out in the movement of the dance. Clothing is absent and child Krishna is clad only in ornaments that include the traditional girdle of bells and range of necklaces, armlets, and anklets. This is the back view of the image.

Subject: Center portion, Krishna and nayika; The Rasikapriya, written circa 1590 by Keshav Das, a celebrated Hindi poet, is a treatise on erotica (rasa: literally mood). In it, nayikas are divided into several classifications; Scene from the Rasikapriya

Subject: Jor Bangla design based on indigenous huts built back to back; Scenes from Krishna legend