This exquisite painting displays Krishna’s childhood pastime in the traditional Tanjore style. The precision with which it has been made and the use of vibrant colors make it appealing and breathtaking. Lord Krishna being the Supreme Lord, appeared just like an ordinary child in Vrindavan but His naughty and uncommon activities were always astonishing for all the inhabitants of Vraja including Nanda Maharaja and Maa Yashoda and His bodily features are even sweeter than honey.
Lord Krishna’s divinity is such that it sweetens even the harshest of hearts. When he appears in the form of Bal Krishna, he is saccharine and innocent. With a lotus-like complexion and around, loving face, this Tanjore painting portrays Lord Krishna divinely. It is said that childless couples who pray to Navaneetha Krishna will be blessed with what they so deeply desire.
The majestic and authentic Tanjore paintings, that draw their roots from a small village in South India, are famous for their use of vivid colors and gold coating. Here, the presiding deity of Tirupati Temple, Lord Venkateshvara, also known as Balaji, is portrayed in a magical way. He is consisidered to be a form of Lord Vishnu, who descended on the earth in Kaliyuga from His divine abode Vaikuntha to establish Dharma. This portray is different from any other artwork and exclusively shows the rich culture of the Thanjavur village.
Devi Rati is the complement and the constant companion of Kamadeva, the deity of love and its expression in desire. In the painting that you see on this page, the sumptuous Tanjore idiom captures the luxuriance of Rati’s beauty. She is seated on the back of Her vahana (divine mount), the parrot, a recurring faunal motif in the romantic imagination of the Indian psyche.
In the traditional lalitasana stance, the fair limbs of Rati are drawn quite wide apart. As the Devi of amorous intimacy and everything it entails, such a stance conveys Her suppleness and agility. She is clad in a choli (blouse) that reveals the curves of Her shoulders; Her ghagra (skirt) is short. Her long, lithe limbs are exposed to view, clasped in studded gold that has the same lustre as the complexion of Her body.
The painting features ample gold embellishment, in keeping with the traditional Tanjore style as well as the nature of the subject. Every bit of the Devi’s attire and adornment is fashioned from inlaid gold. The same applies to the adornment of Her vahana and its plumage. She looks delicately into a shiny silver mirror, the neck tilting forward from the weight of the bun behind Her head.
Devi Annapoorna is the presiding deity over anna (Sanskrt for foodgrain) and, as such, nourishment. No one who is truly devoted to Her may go hungry in this life. She is a gorgeous feminine form with a bright complexion. Set off by a scarlet saree brocaded with pure gold embellishment on gessowork.
Such metallic-layered gessowork is characteristic of the authentic Tanjore painting. More of it is to be found in the wide-set crown that rests upon a jet black head of hair, and the pot and ladle She holds in Her fair hands. The same are brimming over with soft, fresh, white ricegrains. In Devi Annapoorna is the chhavi (image) of the Indian ideal of the loving and giving feminine. A ruby-studded temple entrance made of gold, arching over Annapoorna’s crown.
The red-and-gold colour palette of this Thanjavur painting would make this a vivid addition to your home or office decor. A garland of fresh flowers, a throne of luxuriant pure gold leaves.
Look at the intricate detailing of this epic painting that features Dhanvantari, who is considered to be a form of Lord Vishnu. At the time of Samudramanthan, He emerged from the ocean of milk to deliver the elixir for immortality called ‘Amrita’ to all the demigods. Because He appeared with a pot of Amrita, He is considered to be the God of Ayurveda. The alluring Tanjore paintings give a strong essence of the authentic artwork of South India and represent its rich culture and tradition.
Shirdi Sai Baba was considered a great saint respected by both Hindu and Muslim devotees who taught everyone to aspire for spiritual enlightenment. His teachings “Sabka Malik Ek” (God is one) is still followed by his devotees. He emphasized mainly on the importance of self-realization and to decrease our material attachments which are temporary. Loved and admired by all the inhabitants of Shirdi, he lived a renounced life.
A Tanjore painting depicting a fair and portly Lord Krishna. From the twin embraces of His wives, Rukmini and Satybhama, He gazes ahead with an expression of perfect happiness and wisdom. He is in a dhoti of peeta (amber) silk and all the jewellery on His person is made with inlaid bits of pure gold, which in turn is embedded with red and green glass beads.
Clad in green and crimson silks, the wives of Krishna convey a sense of bliss and plenitude. Their cholis are of 24K gold, and so are the ample ornaments on their respective persons. They stand on either side of their lord and master with an ankle crossed delicately around the other, much like the singular stance of the tribhanga murari (another iconography of Krishna). The Lord cradles the bosom of His two wives in each hand, a gesture of conjugal love and possession.
The jet black wood of the frame contrasts sharply with the gesso-and-metallic colour palette of this Tanjore painting. A traditional temple entrance frames the three deities at the centre. The same is studded with glass beads that resemble emeralds and rubies. The bright vermillion carpet and the richly coloured silks of the deities’ attires add to the aesthetics of the composition.
Of all the avataras (earthly incarnations) of Lord Vishnu, Lord Krishna’s iconography features the most womanly love. Be it in the form of the Radha He was in love with, the Vrindavan milkmaids who were mad about Him, or His wives who were hopelessly devoted to Him as their lord and master. The painting that you see on this page depicts the handsome deity in the loving embraces of His wives, Rukmini va Satyabhama. Rukmini throws her arms around His neck and whispers words of desire into His ears. Satybhama squirms with pleasure within the precinct of His embrace.
A Tanjore-style work, it features solid gesso work superimposed with copious proportions of gold. The quality of the metallic inlay is pure - 24K gold - which in turn is arranged and applied upon the subject with great skill and care. For example, note the precision with which the embellishments have been made along the folds of their limbs and the intricate shringar of crown and ornament. Strangely enough, the complexion of Lord Krishna is shown as fair. This is probably in keeping with the way His wives view Him, pristine and glamorous.
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