ManuscriptsIndian19th century

Krishna Swims with the Gopis (painting, recto), possibly an illustration from the Bhagavata Purana

mid-19th century

Description

In this painting, swirling waters of the Yamuna River serve as a playground for the dark-skinned Hindu god Krishna and a group of gopis (female cowherds). He is shown teasing the gopis, holding on to one as she tries to playfully get away. The flirtatious act is a manifestation of Krishna’s lila, the concept of divine play that induces intense devotional worship (bhakti) among the gopis—and by extension, devotees of Krishna—who gaze at the deity with love-laden eyes and longing for divine union. Seated ashore under a large tree canopy are three women who keep watch over the bathers’ clothes, with Krishna’s peacock-feather crown and yellow dhoti neatly placed in a basket. On the left is a male cowherd with his cattle, and in the center, a priest at a shrine. The setting is probably meant to be the town of Vrindavan in northern India, where Krishna spent most of his early adulthood, and the Yamuna, a main tributary of the Ganges River, features prominently in episodes of Krishna’s life.

Classification

Manuscripts

Medium

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Culture

Indian

Century

19th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Islamic & Later Indian Art