Krishna Kills Raja Kansa

Krishna Kills Raja Kansa

 by Fattu. Bhagwat Puran Series.
 Kangra School. Mid-18th century AD.

          Raja Kansa tries his level best to get Krishna killed. Having failed with the mad elephant, Kansa asks Krishna to wrestle with the royal wrestlers. Krishna and Balaram kill all five royal wrestlers. In fury, Kansa tells his sepoys to arrest Krishna, Balaram, Nanda, Vasudev and his own father Ugrasen and to kill them. Hearing this Krishna loses his temper, drags Kansa from his throne and kills him. Kansa's eight brothers rush to rescue Kansa. Balaram kills all of them with a stick. Pandemonium breaks out. While soldiers run here and there, the Gopas celebrate the victory by playing the drums.
          Fattu shows Krishna draging Kansa's dead body, while his eight dead brothers lie in a heap.
        The killing of Kansa has been seen as endorsing the idea of a political revolution.  The people have the right to violently overturn a bad regime.  But unlike China, Indian history has not witnessed violent revolutions.  In our democracy, we prefer ballots over bullets. Changes are necessary and inevitable,  but they should be through peaceful means. Presently we are seeing a momentous change in our country.  It is a historical moment.

Krishna Kills the Demon Elephant Kuvalayapida

Krishna Kills the Demon Elephant Kuvalayapida

 by Fattu. Bhagwat Puran Series.
Mid-18th century AD.

        When Krishna and Balaram arrive at Mathura they meet certain adventures. Raja Kansa's laundryman (dhobi) misbehaves with them. They kill him. When they reach the Raja's court, the mad elephant, Kuvalayapida, rushes to crush Krishna. He grabs the elephant's tusk and throws him on the ground. The elephant driver (mahawat) lies crushed under the elephant.  The palace soldiers run away. There is palpable terror in the court. A soldier runs inside the palace gate to inform the Raja about the incident.  Krishna has come to kill Kansa.
          Fattu subtly depicts Krishna's power. The elephant is a large animal before whom even Krishna is dwarfed.  But with the stroke of a fist, Krishna would kill the mad elephant.  Of course, Balaram and Gopas are ever ready to join the fray. Fattu places the scene in his contemporary world. The palace is a Mughal one; the soldiers are in Mughal attire.  The scene is not of a by gone age; the scene is of here and now. By placing it in his own time, he makes the scene comprehensible and relevant.
          The painting can be interpreted at three different levels: it is a scene of confrontation between the rural and urban life-style. Krishna and his friends were strangers to the big city culture. There is bound to be a clash of thinking, of life-style. Secondly, it is a political statement of the clash between the Pahari kingdoms with the Mughal Empire. Jahangir had invaded and conquered Kangra. It is a reassuring scene showing the victory of Kangra people over the mighty Mughals. Thirdly, in the Hindu mythology,  the elephant is the symbol of wisdom. When wisdom goes mad, only divinity can control or destroy it. The story of divinity controlling a mad elephant is common both in Hindu and Buddhist mythologies.  Even Buddha is said to have subdued a mad elephant.

Akrura Arrives at Vrindavan

Akrura Arrives at Vrindavan

by Fattu. Bhagwat Puran Series.
Kangra School. Mid-18th century AD.

           Krishna's days at Vrindavan were coming to an end. Akrura had arrived at Vrindavan to take Krishna and Balrama to Mathura as Raja Kansa had called them. Akrura  has arrived in the morning when the village is just getting up. The cows are still in the shed; the women are gossiping in the veranda; the calf is running to its mother; the Gopas are reaching Krishna's house for taking the herd of cows for grazing. Akrura  informs the aged Nanda and Yashoda about the invitation. The old milkman, who has just heard the news, is wonder struck. But the terrible news is yet to travel through the village. The royal chariot awaits to take Krishna and Balaram to Mathura.
          Fattu is very subtle in creating suspense, and in capturing the brewing tension. If Raja Kansa has 'invited' Krishna nad Balaram, either they will be killed or imprisoned. Vrindavan would lose its heros.  Yet we all know that Raja Kansa was inviting his own death.
        At times what may appear to be a disaster,  ends up being a blessing in disguise. Reality can be tricky. We react to situations; we need to respond to it after taking all the relevant factors into account.  Surely Raja Kansa could not kill a divinity like Krishna. The battle between good and evil has just begun.

Krishna Steals the Clothes of the Gopis

 Krishna Steals the Clothes of the Gopis

 

 by Fattu, Bhagwat Puran Series
 Kangra School, Mid-18th century AD.

              Vrindavan was not just a place for troubles and difficulties,  but was also a place for Krishna's endless pranks: stealing butter, breaking the water pots, or stealing the clothes of the Gopis while the bathe in the Yamuna.
            While the Gopis bathe, Krishna steals their clothes and waits for them to come out. When they are finished bathing, the Gopis are horrified to find their clothes. They beg Krishna to return the clothes. Some Gopis walk towards him, others sit on the river bank, few stay in the river. Other Gopis are coming down to the river as the sun breaks through the horizon.
           This is not a painting on voyeurism.  It is symbolic of the fact that we human beings have egos which give us a sense of identity, yet a sense of dilution.  We construct our worlds according to our notions. But such notions are neither the truth, nor the reality, nor permanent.  They are as decorative and temporary as clothes are. Once we understand the higher truths of our existence,  our dilutions, and ego disappear. We stand naked before the God. We stand in our pristine condition as eternal souls who must mingle with godhood. The spiritual journey is endless. God waits for us to come to him in our original Self.

Krishna Frees Sudarshan

Krishna  Frees Sudarshan

by Fattu. Bhagwat Puran Series
Kangra School. Mid-18th century AD.

          Once Krishna's family was worshiping the Devi at night, when suddenly a python came a bit Nanda who was sleeping. While some Gopas rushed to Nanda's rescue, Krishna stepped on the snake. The snake was relieved of his curse. Sudarshan, a Vidhyadar, emerged from the snake and bowed to Krishna.
          Fattu has caught the commotion of the scene and contrasted it with the stillness of a starry night.  On one side, the musicians play the drum and the horns; on the other side, the Gopas try to shoo away the python with the fire. The group of women sit and sing the hymns to the goddess; Krishna gently steps on the snake, releasing the young Vidhyadhar from his eternal curse. Interestingly, the men and women sit in segregation much as we do even today.
           God not only saves us from our troubles, but also redeems us of our sins. He reforms us and gives us a new lease of life. He is the  saviour.

Lord Indra Bows to Krishna

Lord Indra Bows to Krishna

by Fattu. Bhagwat Puran Series
Kangra School,Mid-18th century AD.

         Angry about being ignored, Lord Indra had ordered the clouds to pound Vrindavan with torrential rains. The villagers had rushed to Krishna for protection.  Krishna had lifted Mt. Goverdhan on his small finger, like an umbrella, providing protection to the people.  He sent the Sudershan Chakra, his disk, to absorb the rains. Seeing this miracle, and realising Krishna's divinity, Lord Indra paid salutation to Krishna. On the left He pays homage to Krishna by bowing before him. On right, He and his vehicle,  Aravat, the white elephant,  attend upon Krishna as He takes his shower.
        Since lifting of Mt. Goverdhan is an important episode from the Bhagwat Puran, Fattu would have painted it. Perhaps the miniature is a lost work of his as it is not in the series available at the National Museum in New Delhi.
       When a new idea comes, such as worship a mountain instead of Lord Indra, there is bound to be opposition.  A conflict ensues. Those who oppose finally succumb.  A new path is discovered. Hegal, the famous German philosopher, called it didactics. Where there is thesis and anti-thesis, both come in conflict,  then there is synthesis. And the civilization progresses.
      There may have been a conflict between the declining Vedic Gods and the emerging cult of Vaishvanism. The society harmonised the two by bringing Lord Indra into the fold of Vaishvanism.  He becomes a minor deity.  He awaits on Krishna. The Indian mind does not believe in exterminating a contrary view. It believes in assimilation.  Hence the plurality in Indian civilization.  Plurality of vision is one of our greatest strengths. This miniature depicts that vision of assimilation and harmony

Goverdhan Parikrama (Worshiping Mt. Goverdhan)

Goverdhan Parikrama (Worshiping Mt. Goverdhan)

 by Fattu. Bhagwat Puran Series
 Kangra School. Mid-18th century AD.

            Krishna disuaded his fellow villagers from worshipping Lord Indra. Instead, He pointed to the importance of Mt. Goverdhan which gave them fuel woods, and grass, which brought the rains.
          The people of Vrindavan followed his advice.  While an elderly gentleman bows to the mountain,  men, women and children circumbulate the mountain.  A Gopa, in the extreme left side, points to a small figure of Lord Vishnu sitting on top of the mountain. Folk musicians play the horn and beat the drums in joyous mood. Krishna lovingly looks at Nanda. A Gopi turns to look both at Balaram and Krishna. There is an element of reverence, an element of suspense as it is the first time the villagers have broken the long tradition of worshipping Lord Indra. We all know the revenge Lord Indra took on Vrindavan by inflicting torrential rains, till Krishna lifted Mt. Goverdhan on his small finger and provided shelter and protection to his people.
         Historians view this story as a clash between the Vedic gods and the rise of Vashnavism cult. Lord Vishnu begins to replace the Vedic Gods: Indra,  Agni, Varun and Yama. But this story can also be seen as the emphasis Hinduism places on conservation of the environment.  Like Taoism in China, religions in India have emphasised the place of Man in nature: we are but one small element of Nature. We must peacefully co-exist in Nature. We must protect and promote it.
        But unfortunately we remember and perform the rituals; we forget the message, the meaning behind the rituals. Presently, Mt. Goverdhan is worshipped by thousands of devotees, yet the area is cleaned by none. It continues to be a highly polluted areas. We pollute the water and air, but belive in the divinity of stones and trees. Krishna could only be laughing at our ignorance of His divine message.

Lord Brahma Hides the Gopas and the Cows in a Cave

Lord Brahma Hides the Gopas and the Cows in a Cave

by Fattu. Bhagwat Puran Series
Kangra School. Mid-18th century AD.

     Lord Brahma wanted to test Krishna's divinity. One day He hid all the Gopas and thr cows in a cave. Krishna could not find them. By the evening he had to return to Vrindavan with them. Unable to locate them, he sat and created their images from mud, breathed life into these dolls and took them back to Vrindavan at dusk.
         Fattu shows three Gopas and  a few cows inside a cave. Lord Brahma flies of on his vehicle.  Although his vehicle is the swan, here we see Him flying on a crane. Swans were unknown to the Pahari painters.
        This is one of the most beautiful landscape painting of the Kangra School. The colors, the beige,  the pinks, the oranges, the different shades of green and blue resonate throughout the painting.  The linear quality of the trees, the grass, the peacocks, gives the painting a poetical effect.
        Difficulties are not created just by those who are around us; it can be created by divinity too. According to the Sufis, Allah tests our soul and our devotion by making our lives difficult. But like Krishna we have to think out of the box in order to solve our problems.  Our abilities prove the divine in us.

Krishna Swallows the Forest Fire

Krishna Swallows the Forest Fire

by Fattu. Bhagwat Puran Series
Kangra School.  Mid-18th century.

       Forest fires are common in the summer months. Once the herd of cows were caught in such a fire. Krishna asked his friends to close their eyes. He swallowed the fire. Frightened by the fire, a bird flies to the safety of a tree; a snake, at the bottom of the painting,  runs. The cows are bewildered.  Krishna stands quietly,  drinking the fire.
      Miracles are part of divinity. All of us are surrounded by our troubles.  But the Almighty gets rid of them. Meanwhile,  others are unaware of our problems and how they were solved--they are represented here by the Gopas with their eyes closed. We are like the cows--bewildered,  lost, anxious.  But He is always there for us.
     This is a painting of hope, of joy,  of salvation.

Krishna Kills Kalia

Krishna Kills Kalia

by Fattu. Bhagwat Puran Series.
 Kangra School. Mid-18th century AD.

            Having revived his friends and herd of cows, Krishna jumped into the Yamuna River in order to discover the source of poison. He met a huge snake, Kalia. Kalia was asleep when Krishna arrived. Krishna kicked him. A great fight ensued between the two. Eventually Krishna crushes Kalia under his feet. Kalia's four wives beg mercy for their husband. Krishna forgives Kalia and tells him to gather thousand lotus and present them to Raja Kansa.
           Fattu has captured the moment of triumph,  the moment of defeat. Kalia with his seven bleeding hoods succumbs to Krishna. Kalia's wives sue for peace.
          Kalia is a symbol of our negative, thus, poisonous emotions: anger, avarice,  lust, greed, violence, jealousy,  selfishness.  We have to conquer these emotions in order to succeed in life. The killing of Kalia is similar to the concept of 'jehad' in Islam, I.e. kill your vices, or to the concept of repentance in Christianity.  It is only by killing our desires and by controlling our impulses,  that we rise to a higher state of conscience.  Like Kalia's wives, nature offers us peace, tranquillity and spiritual wealth.

Krishna Resurrects Gopas

Krishna Resurrects Gopas

by Fattu, From the Bhagwat Puran Series
Kangra School, Mid-18th century

      As with mere mortals, troubles follow Krishna. Wanting to teach a lesson to the people of Vrindavan, Kansa asks the great serpent Kalia to poison the Yamuna River. The innocent Gopas and the cows drink the river water. They die. Krishna finds his friends and his herd dead near the river bank. He looks at the with compassion.  They revive. While one sits up, the other Gopa stands up to adjust his skull cap.   One of the cows tries to get up. From the dead, the Gopas and the cows rise as though nothing had happened. 
       Fattu has shown the polluted Yamuna as being frothy. The willow tree in the background is without flowers. Thus, lifeless. God's entry into our lives revives it.
       We are dead till we reach the level of higher consciousness.  Our lives are polluted till compassion is learned and practiced. Despite our pollution, our misdeeds,  God is full of compassion.  He raises us to a higher level of conscience.  We all live and drink from the polluted river of life, till God shows us mercy and compassion.

Krishna kills Bakasura

Krishna kills Bakasura 

by Fattu, Bhagwat Puran Series. Kangra School, Mid-18th century.

      Having failed to kill Krishna,  Raja Kansa sent another demon, Bankasura in the form of a gigantic Crane. Krishna did not want the crane to harm others, so he offered himself. The crane caught hold of Krishna in his beak. Having entered his beak, Krishna increased his size, and broke the beak. Thereby killing the demon.
        Fattu has captured the entire story in a very simple narrative. Both the actions take place simultaneously.  Multiple narrative is a common device in Indian art.  In this painting Fattu emphasises the large size of the crane by painting small ducks in the Yamuna River. Balaram, Krishna's elder brother,  and the Gopas rush to help Krishna in killing the demon.
           Troubles come in many forms.  The surroud us, engulf us. With our confidence,  we can 'increase' our ability to tackle them. We can destroy our troubles with a little help from our friends. We all fight with our Bakasura everyday. We are triumphant.

Krishna Kills Vatsasura

Krishna Kills Vatsasura

by Fattu, Bhagwat Puran Series

Kangra School,  Mid-18th century AD.

        No paradise is safe. Vrindavan was no exception.  Kansa, the demon Raja of Mathura knew that people of Gokul have migrated to Vrindavan for safety. But evil has a way of reaching every where.  Soon Kansa sent his demon courtiers for killing Krishna. For it was prophesied that Krishna would eventually kill Kansa. Vatsasura was one of the demons who, thus, came to Vrindavan.  He assumed the form of a cow and entered Krishna's herd. Suddenly there was panic in amongst the cows. They ran here and there. Krishna recognised the demon, caught hold of the cow's tail and dashed him against the tree. Due to the demon's weight, the tree was uprooted.  The Gopas tried their best to control the other cows. Despite the flower lined meadows of the Yamuna River,  trouble lurks at every bend of the river. The idyllic peace does get disturbed once in a while.

Fattu has caught the suspense and the drama very well.

       In every herd, there are bound to be trouble shooters. For like goodness, evil is universal. But we must weed out the evil to keep our garden pristine.

Krishna with Gopas ( Cow Herd Boys)

Krishna with Gopas ( Cow Herd Boys)

by Fattu. Bhagwat Puran Series. Kangra School, Mid-18th century AD.

      Vrindavan--the forest of Tulsi or Basil--was an idyllic setting for Krishna to show his love and his strength.  Here while tending on his cows, he could spend hours with his cow herd friends, the Gopas. Fattu paints the beautiful landscape where Krishna sits and has his meagre lunch with his friends,  while the cows leisurely graze around them. The Yamuna River meanders around Krishna. It is a picture perfect landscape. But despite the presence of God, there is no opulence.  There is only a simple setting of a pastoral countryside.  The Gopas are in their loincloth and shawls; only Krishna wears a crown. But even he sits with a plate full of rice.
According to the Bhagwat Puran, the great sages had reincarnated as Gopas so they could enjoy God's company in Vrindawan.
          Where there is God, it is paradise.  Vrindavan is the land of Gopas and Gopis, the land of Radha and Raslila. It is the land of pristine love.  But like the Garden of Eden,  this paradise has its own share of serpents.

Migration to Vrindavan

by Fattu, From the Bhagwat Puaran Series
Kangra School, Mid- 18th century AD

         Gokul near Mathura proved to be too unsafe. Kansa, the Raja of Mathura and maternal uncle of Krishna, was foretold that the person who would eventually kill him is born. The person lives in Gokul. Hearing this news, Kansa had all the children below two years in Gokul slaughtered.  He had sent other demons who tried to kill Krishna, such as the beautiful Putana. Nanda and others had no option, but to move to Vrindavan, 40 kilometres from Gokul.
          Seated in two bullock carts, surrounded by the poor villagers, carrying their meagre belongings, Nanda and his two wives leave for Vrindavan.  We see the young and the old, women and children,  animals and men walking towards an unknown destination.  Women carry the spinning wheel (the charkha), men carry the heavy loads, the boys tend the cows. In an agricultural society,  the cows are the symbol of wealth. Thus, they are hearded and tended by the community.  Nanda and his wives represent the upper echelon of the community. Hence, they ride in the bullock carts; others walk. While the human beings suffer, nature calmly continues its journey.  Notice the a pair of birds in the upper part of the painting.
        The migration Fattu has captured continues even today. Migration is part of human existence. We are all immigrants--passengers on this path of life.

Nanda Discussing the Possibility of Migrating to Vrindavana with Elders of Gokul

Nanda Discussing the Possibility of Migrating to Vrindavana with Elders of Gokul

 by Fattu, Bhagwat Puran series
 Kangra School, Mid-18th century.

        Gokul where Krishna was deposited by Vasudev is no longer safe. Nanda as the village headman must discuss migration to Vrindavana. Nanda sits with four other elders of the village--perhaps acting as the "panchayat" (a group of five elders of the village who make the important decisions for the community). Each person is animated--notice the hand gestures of each individual.  While the heated discussion goes on Nanda' s two wives, Yashoda and Rohuni, sit near by. Balram and Krishna play in the foreground.  Meanwhile,  a gopi (a woman who looks after the cows) pours water for a cow. Hearing the animated discussion,  even the calf turns towards the elders lost in the discussion.  Something important is in the air, though life seems to go on at its normal pace.
        Fattu's Krishna is not a prince living in a palace. He is a simple villager living in a hut. Gokul is a village and not a city as depicted by other artists. Fattu has subtly built up the suspense by using the animated gestures of the figures and by turning the calf's head. Interestingly,  the men again are individualised portraits; women are not. Both the children in the foreground are carefree, lost in their own world. The concerns of different generations, of different people is depicted with subtlety and sensitivity. Fattu places the viewer in midst of the scene. The naturalism of the scene is mesmerising. 

Nanda Celebrates the Birth of Lord Krishna

Nanda Celebrates the Birth of Lord Krishna

by Fattu. Bhagwat Puran series. Kangra School.
Mid- 18th century CE.

       After his uncle, Nainsukh,  Fattu (1725-1785) is perhaps the most creative artist of the Kangra School. At least three series, namely the Bhagwat Puran, the Bihari Sat Sai and a Ragamala series, are known to be done by him. His paintings are unique in three ways, his composition, that is his division of space, his introduction of landscape and deep space, his study of the society of his time, and most importantly his humanising of Gods into mere mortals.

       This painting belongs to the Bhagwat Puran series. Nanda, the foster father of Lord Krishna,  celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna.  Fattu dramatically divides the space between the white walls of Nanda's palace and the colourful group of people.  Nanda sits in his open courtyard, receiving 'kush grass' from the fellow villagers who have come dancing and singing to his house to congratulate him. In the background are the professional muscians playing on the kettle drums, the shahnai, and other horn instruments.

         In the inner quarter,  Yashoda sits with the newly born Krishna, in her arms. She too is surrounded by the maids and an elderly woman--perhaps the wet nurse. Yashoda too receives the 'Kush grass' from the women of the household.  At the gate of the house, other villagers, an old woman, a mendicant, three  young women, a small child have lined up to congratulate Nanda and possibly to receive alms from him.

        Interestingly, Fattu has captured the different stratas of the society: the rich Nanda and Yashoda, the old and young women, the villagers, the dancers and muscians,  the maid servants and the wet nurse. Nanda, the village headman, is modelled after the portrait of old Emperor Shah Jahan. Thus depicting him almost as part of royalty.

        Surprisingly Fattu is influenced by the Mughal School. He in turn would influence other artists of the Kangra School. Like the Mughal miniatures of Shah Jahan's period, Fattu's male figures are individualised in their portrait. But they are stereotypes of particular class. They will be repeated throughout his work. But the women are all stylised--ever young, delicate, bejewelled. They are not individuals.

         Fattu is, thus, not only an artist, but also a sociologist of his time.

Krishna Attacks Naraka's Citadel

Krishna Attacks Naraka's Citadel

Painting from Bhagavata Purana series,Delhi-Agra area

1520-30 AD.

       Before the Mughals came to India, an indian school of miniature painting did exist during the Siltanate period.  This school was heavily influenced by the Jain miniatures.  This school is typified by flat space, areas of primary colours,  like the red color in this painting,  sharp profiles of the figures,  and squat figures. The portruding eye of the Jain miniature is replaced with the large eyes. But the prominent chin, the translucent 'chunni', the pigtails are retained.
       Here we see Lord Krishna in his form as Lord Vishnu on his vehicle, the Garuda-- the man-eagle. With a sword in his hand, Krishna approaches Naraka's citadel. Naraka sits with his minister, oblivious of the pending doom. He feels safe and secure in his fortified palace. The fort is surrounded by hills, a moat, and protected by the canons sticking out of the fort walls.
       The painting seems to depict the naivete of human beings. All of us are so secure in our cocoons that we are oblivious of the pending dangers.