Ashtabuja Venugopala - Kerala Mural Archive

Detail Photos

Deity: Krishna Location: Mattancherry Palace Theme: Non-narrative Visual Feature: Background pattern Visual Feature: Facial expression detail Visual Feature: Hand gesture (mudra)Visual Feature: Ornamentation

Ashtabhuja Vengopala, or green-skinned form of Krishna with eight arms. The inside of his palms are reddish in color. He is lying down on a hanging bed with a canopy over his head. He is surrounded by sixteen Gopis. He has eight arms, each of which is touching a Gopi. Two of his eight arms are holding a flute in his hand and raising it towards his lips. He is bejeweled, wearing a lot of ornaments. He is wearing a yellow dhoti. He has a crown over his head. On top of the canopy, there are several pigeons resting. Below the bed, there is a lotus pond, trees, and deer in the mating position. One of his arms are resting behind his own head, holding it up. With one of his hands, he holds the nipple of one of the gopis. Another hand is touching the private part of a Gopi. He touches the back of a Gopis head and brinvs her close enough to kiss him. One hand is holding the face of another Gopi. One of his arms and one his toes are touching the private parts of two separate Gopis. His second toe is touching the nipples of one of the Gopi.

Iconography

Primary Deity/Figure: Krishna
Secondary Figures: Gopis
Iconographic Form: Ashtabuja Venugopala
Iconographic Attributes: Green-skinned eight-armed Krishna; the inside of his palms are red in color; He is lying down on the lap of several gopis; He is lying on a bed with a canopy over his head; The canopy is supported by two pillars; There are pigeons on top of the canopy; Below him is a forest scene with a lot of animals, predominantly deer; They are in mating position; Krishna is wearing a yellow dhoti and is surrounded by a group of sixteen gopis; He is wearing a necklace, earring, armlets, crown, bangles, rings, waist chain; both of his uppermost right and uppermost left hands are playing the flute; One hand is resting on the back of his head; Another hand is holding the head of a gopi and bringing it closer to his face so that she could kiss him; Another is holding the face of a different gopi; another arm is holding the nipple of the breast of a red-skinned gopi; Another one of his hands are holding the private parts of a golden-skinned gopi; Yet another hand is holding the private parts of another gopi; His toes are also engaged in similar activities; His right leg touches the private parts of a gopi; With the big toe of his left leg, he touches the nipple of another gopi; There are other gopis looking in on this scene. Some of them are holding a venjamaram. Seven of the sixteen gobies are golden-skinned, while two of them are green-skinned, three of them are white-skinned; They are all decked in ornaments.
Rasa: Shringara

Spatial & Architectural

Temple: Palace interior
Zone within Temple: Ladies' chamber
Position in Pradakshina Sequence: Not Applicable
Adjacent Panels: Shakthipanchakshari and Govardhanan

Narrative

Textual Source: Non-narrative
Mythological Tale: Krishna is the ninth reincarnation of Vishnu. Born to Vasudeva and Devaki, Krishna was transferred to the custody of Nandagopa and Yashoda who raised him like their own son. This was done to protect Krishna from the clutches of Kamsa. In his depiction as ashtabuja Venugopala, he is depicted with ashta or eight buja or arms, two of which is holding a venu or flute raised to his lips. This is a rare depiction of Krishna. In this posture, he usually is surrounded by Gopis or cowherd women of Vrindavan.
Episode: Non-narrative

Condition & Documentation

Condition: Good
Deterioration Type: Pigment loss
Restoration Status: Partially restored
Documentation Type: DSLR full panel
Permission Basis: ASI permission
Date of Documentation: 01/08/2024
Artist: Unknown
Identifier: MCP_P002
Rights / Notes: These images may not be reproduced, redistributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior permission.