CENTER FOR ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY

Subject: Leaf from a Gita Govinda series painted by members of the Pandit Seu family, possibly Khushala and Gaudhu. This set of paintings was made for Sansar Chand of Kangra and given by his son to the ruler of Tehri Garhwal. [The Sorrow of Krishna]

Subject: Leaf from a Gita Govinda series [The Union of Krishna and Radha]

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

Subject: In order to create a hierarchical feudal aristocracy under the Queen-Empress, coats-of-arms were created for and by the princes and even their nobles. This one shows an ancestral warrior, the god Krishna, and a castle or fort. Just as their British overlords challenged the princes' assumed prerogatives and symbols of power, the princes often challenged plays for power and prestige by their nobles. The Thakur of Dundlod was chastised by the Jaipur durbar for describing his home as a castle rather than a fort. He still kept the address "Dundlod Castle" on his stationery but crossed out "castle" in correspondence with Jaipur. The structure was originally built in 1750 as a fort and not used as a residence until 1809. Today it is both a residence and a hotel. [Coat-of-Arms of a Thikana (estate) within Jaipur]

Subject: From a Satsai of Bihari series. The large series of paintings is based on 700 couplets, often in the form of alamkaras, figures of speech such as similes and metaphors. [Radha's Tryst with Krishna]

Subject: Leather puppets of Karnataka are called Togalu Gombe Atta. "Togalu" means leather, "Gombe" means doll and "Atta" means dance. Such a composite elephant was produced by the gopis to keep Krishna from leaving. The lead rider could be Krishna but he is bending a bow like that of Kamadeva, the God of Love, who has also been portrayed on just such an elephant. The second rider seems to have wings and may be Garuda rather than Balarama. ['Togalu Gombe Atta' Style Shadow Figure of Nav Nari Kunjar, a Composite Elephant Made Up of Nine Women]

Subject: The town of Govardhan is known for its 16th c. Harideva Temple and cenotaphs of the maharajas. Krishna is said to have held up Mount Govardhan to protect people from rains sent by Indra. [Palace and Tank Built by Rajah Bulman Singh Goverdhun]

Subject: Entrance wall, detail

Subject: Central shrine, a view

Subject: Srikovil, south wall, Krsna sucking milk, view

Subject: West wall, frieze (Venugopala), view

Subject: South wall, frieze, (Krsna slaying Bakasura)

Subject: Venugopala column

Subject: Balakrishna: Balakrishna 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.

Subject: Chitrasena and Narada: This imagery alludes to the episode of Gandharva Chitrasena who was passing through the sky, spitting into the hands of the hermit, Kalava worshipping below. Narada devised a plan with Chitrasena to avoid Krishna's punishment of death for Chitrasena.

Subject: Buddha seated: In South India, the Buddhist and Jain faiths were quite vital in the Chola period. Buddhist monasteries attracted donations of individual images of the Buddha and Buddhist deities. The early arrival of Buddhism in south India is evident from the ancient Buddhist monastic sites that dot Godavari and Krishna basins of the Andhra region as well as literary sources. However with the upsurge of Shaiva nayanmars and the Vaishnava alvars, the power of Buddhists greatly reduced. Buddhism received new impetus during the eleventh century partly because of the arrival of a colony of Buddhists from the kingdom of Shrivijaya in Indonesia. This is a seated figure of Buddha in dhyani-mudra (contemplation gesture). The robes cover only one shoulder.

Subject: Buddha seated: In South India, the Buddhist and Jain faiths were quite vital in the Chola period. Buddhist monasteries attracted donations of individual images of the Buddha and Buddhist deities. The early arrival of Buddhism in south India is evident from the ancient Buddhist monastic sites that dot Godavari and Krishna basins of the Andhra region as well as literary sources. However with the upsurge of Shaiva nayanmars and the Vaishnava alvars, the power of Buddhists greatly reduced. Buddhism received new impetus during the eleventh century partly because of the arrival of a colony of Buddhists from the kingdom of Shrivijaya in Indonesia. This is a seated figure of Buddha in dhyani-mudra (contemplation gesture). The robes cover only one shoulder.

Subject: Yashoda with Krishna: Vasudeva, a mythological king, had several wives including Rohini and Devaki. After Devaki's wedding, her brother Kamsa had a premonition that her eighth son would kill him. Kamsa killed Devaki's first six children and during Devakai's seventh pregnancy, Vishnu transferred the embryo to Rohini?s womb in order to prevent the child?s murder and when the child was born it was called Balarama. Then Vishnu allowed himself to be conceived in Devaki and the Goddess of Sleep and Night to be conceived in Yashoda, wife of the cowherd Nanda, both of whom looked after Rohini in their country retreat. Vishnu was now Devakai's eighth son whom Kamsa had sworn to kill. By his power, Vishnu arranged that Devaki and Yashoda give birth at the same time so at the time of the birth the babies could be exchanged. Thus Vishnu was born as Krishna and was brought up by Yashoda and Nanda and Vasudeva and Devaki pretended that their eighth child was a daughter.

Subject: Yashoda with Krishna: Vasudeva, a mythological king, had several wives including Rohini and Devaki. After Devaki's wedding, her brother Kamsa had a premonition that her eighth son would kill him. Kamsa killed Devaki?s first six children and during Devakai's seventh pregnancy, Vishnu transferred the embryo to Rohini?s womb in order to prevent the child?s murder and when the child was born it was called Balarama. Then Vishnu allowed himself to be conceived in Devaki and the Goddess of Sleep and Night to be conceived in Yashoda, wife of the cowherd Nanda, both of whom looked after Rohini in their country retreat. Vishnu was now Devakai's eighth son whom Kamsa had sworn to kill. By his power, Vishnu arranged that Devaki and Yashoda give birth at the same time so at the time of the birth the babies could be exchanged. Thus Vishnu was born as Krishna and was brought up by Yashoda and Nanda and Vasudeva and Devaki pretended that their eighth child was a daughter. This is the back view of the image.

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: 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. This is the back of the image.

Subject: Buddha: In South India, the Buddhist and Jain faiths were quite vital in the Chola period. Buddhist monasteries attracted donations of individual images of the Buddha and Buddhist deities. The early arrival of Buddhism in south India is evident from the ancient Buddhist monastic sites that dot Godavari and Krishna basins of the Andhra region as well as literary sources. However with the upsurge of Shaiva nayanmars and the Vaishnava alvars, the power of Buddhists greatly reduced. Buddhism received new impetus during the eleventh century partly because of the arrival of a colony of Buddhists from the kingdom of Shrivijaya in Indonesia. In this image of Buddha, he has a serenely elegant face and elongated ear lobes, stands erect with his right hand raised in the abhaya gesture of protection and his left lowered in the varada gesture of wish granting. His head is covered with tiny curls, and rising from the top of the head in a stylized flame, characteristic of south Indian images of Buddha. His monastic robe covers his shoulders and the scalloped folds along its lower outer edges is a feature that becomes highly pronounced from the twelfth century onwards. Chola Buddhist bronzes are portable images intended for processional festivities as is evident from the holes in the Buddha's circular lotus pedestal intended to help hoist the image and the ceremonial aspects of Hindu and Buddhist images overlapped considerably. This is the front and the back view of the image.

Subject: Bala-Krsna, dancing

Subject: Krisna-lila, Dhenukasura-vadha, etc.