Krishna and Balarama Fight the Evil King Kamsa’s Wrestlers: Page from a Dispersed Bhagavata Purana

Kamsa sent Canura and Mushthika, two mountainlike wrestlers who had limbs as strong as lightning, to confront the youthful Krishna and Balarama. The climactic moment is statically presented with great formal drama. Such scenes of conflict serve as metaphors for Krishna’s destruction of corruption. The deep brown background and brightly lit action set against a night sky are typical of the fully developed Malwa aesthetic.

Ink and opaque watercolor on paper

Overview

Creator : 

Anonymous

Collection : 

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Date :

1650

Rights :

CC0

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