Govardhana - Kerala Mural Archive

Detail Photos

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

Green-skinned Krishna is holding up the Govardhana mountain and shielding his people from the rain and storm. Krishna is using his right hand to raise the Govardhana mountain. His right hand is holding the flute to his lips. He is playing the flute to calm the people around him. The mountain contains a lot of animals alongside trees. Some of the animals, like deers, elephants, tigers, wild boars, are all represented in pairs. Some of them are in the position of mating. There is two human beings atop the mountain. One of them is killing a deer, while the other, a mustached man, is carrying a deer on his shoulder. There is a small hut in the upper right corner of the panel. Krishna has his characteristic peacock feather crown and yellow dhoti. He is wearing a lot of ornaments, including a crown, bangles, earrings, necklaces, rings, anklets, and waist chain. Beside him there is a lot of people, including women. There is a yellow-skinned pregnant woman standing next to him. Underneath there are several children sitting or standing up with their arms around their shoulders, shivering in the cold. There are also a lot of cattle near Krishna's feet. There are also a group of people, some of them raising their hands in Anjali Mudra. Balrama stands to the left of Krishna, putting his hands around a woman. There is an old woman struggling to get up, helped by another woman. There is a woman trying to carry her infant. There are two other women fondling a child. Another golden-skinned woman is also seen holding a child. Other female figures are holding their hands in Anjali Mudra. Some are talking to each other. Almost everyone is looking at Krishna and the epic feat that he has achieved.

Iconography

Primary Deity/Figure: Krishna
Secondary Figures: Balarama
Iconographic Form: Govardhana
Iconographic Attributes: Green-skinned Krishna with a yellow dhoti and peacock-feathered crown is playing a flute; With his left hand, he has raised the Govardhana mountain; He is wearing jewelry including crown, necklaces, armbands, bangles, rings, and anklets; Beside him is the white-skinned Balarama; He is also wearing similar kind of jewelry; He is wearing white-colored flowers on top of his crown; one of his hands are around a woman, a golden-skinned woman who is looking at Krishna; Beside Krishna's feet, there are a lot of cattle; Behind Balarama, there is a figure holding his hand in Anjali mudra; There are two other figures behind this man; Next to the lady who is standing with Balarama, there is a green-skinned man holding the Anjali mudra; There are several other people also looking at Krishna; There is an old woman as well, with a stick on her hand; There is a yellow-colored man who is closing his ears perhaps because he wants to block the sound of the rain; To the right of Krishna, there are some children, all of them huddled up because of the cold and rain; There is a yellow-skinned woman trying to pick up her white-skinned infant; There is an old woman near her who is struggling to get up; She is helped by another yellow-skinned woman; Above the woman picking up her child is a pregnant woman who is also looking at Krishna; There is a white-skinned woman standing near Krishna; She appears to be talking to a green-skinned woman behind her; There are two other women, one golden-skinned and other white-skinned, who are fondling a baby; there is a yellow-skinned woman beneath them who is holding her baby; There is also three other female figures who are holding their hands in Anjali mudra; The mountain is made up of trees. There are a lot of animals including deer, lion, boar; There are two human figures; One of them is killing a deer; Another is carrying a deer on his shoulder; The second one is having a mustache; There is a hut to the upper right corner; The animals are mostlyin pairs; Two deer are seen mating; A huge section of the upper portion of the mountain is faded out.
Rasa: Adbhuta

Spatial & Architectural

Temple: Palace interior
Zone within Temple: Ladies' chamber
Position in Pradakshina Sequence: Not Applicable
Adjacent Panels: Ashtabuja Venugopala and Shivamohini

Narrative

Textual Source: Bhagavata Purana
Mythological Tale: The people of Vrindavan used to worship Lord Indra inorder to gain good harvest and rain. However, Krishna convinced them that they should instead worship the Govardhana mountain, whom he saw was the source for food and resources for the people. As people turned to worship Govardhana instad of him, Indra got angry and began causing torrential rains and floods in Vrindavan. Krishna in an effort to attempt to preserve the lives of people who trusted in him, raised the Govardhana hill with his left hand and stood there effortlessly for seven days. Indra upon seeing this divine act , sought forgiveness from Krishna. This led to Krishna be called as Govardhana or Govardhana giri dhara.
Episode: Govardhanodharanam

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_P003
Rights / Notes: These images may not be reproduced, redistributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior permission.