AN ILLUSTRATION TO A BHAGAVATA PURANA SERIES: KRISHNA APPROACHED BY AKRURA IN THE GOLDEN PALACE OF DWARAKA, INDIA, DELHI-AGRA REGION, CIRCA 1520

Acquired in the 1980s

Krishna seated in a posture of meditation, his legs bound by a meditation cord, is greeted by Akrura who stands before him with palms pressed. An attendant waving a chauri (ceremonial fly-whisk) stands behind. The three figures are contrasted against an earthy-red rectangular compartment within the gold and jeweled architecture of Krishna’s palace in Dwaraka, depicted surrounded on three sides by stylized foaming water inhabited by fantastical sea creatures. 

This is a very rare folio, probably from the early ‘Palam’ Bhagavata Purana Book 10 of circa 1520-40 date, relating the struggle over the possession of a fabulous jewel - the Syamantaka - its loss, rescue and return by Krishna to its owner Shatrajit - and eventually the gifting of the jewel by Krishna to Akrura. 

There appear to be only a small number of folios extant from this manuscript which depict the Syamantaka episode. They are connected by a color palette somewhat distinct from most leaves of this widely-dispersed album. The present folio is painted in red terra-cotta hues and light blues not often seen in other folios. The composition is starker and more geometric compared to other folios. Like some other leaves from the Syamantaka group, this too depicts a golden palace surrounded on three sides by schematic white basket-weave patterns (representing water) and mythical sea creatures. 

For other folios from the same manuscript depicting the Syamantaka narrative see "Akrura and Krishna" in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, accession number IS.2-1977. For more information about the series itself see D. Ehnbom, “The Masters of the Dispersed Bhagavata Purana,” essay in M. C. Beach, E. Fischer, B.N, Goswamy (eds.), Masters of Indian Painting 1100-1650,” Zurich, 2011, pps. 77-88.