Poothanamoksham - Kerala Mural Archive

Kadavil Thrikkovil, KTK_P007 — Krishna: full panel view

Detail Photos

Deity: Krishna Location: Kadavil Thrikkovil Sreekrishna Swamy Temple Theme: Bhagavata Purana Visual Feature: Facial expression detail Visual Feature: Hand gesture (mudra)Visual Feature: Ornamentation

The panel has two sections. The first section at the lower end of the panel shows a beautiful woman breastfeeding Krishna. The second panel shows a demoness being tormented by the infant breastfeeding. This ordeal is known as Putana Moksham, and is one of the most common depictions of Sri Krishna Leela, or the playful tales of Sri Krishna as an infant.

Iconography

Primary Deity/Figure: Krishna
Secondary Figures: Poothana
Iconographic Form: Krishna (Vishnu's incarnation)
Iconographic Attributes: Damaged panel; bottom half shows golden-skinned woman wearing a white saree, holding bab Krishna in her arms. She has black hair held up in a bun, decorated with flower garlands. She wears ornaments of different kinds. She is holding a baby, Krishna. Krishna is green-skinned, wearing nothing but ornaments. The second figure shows green-skinned Putana with huge bulging eyes and fangs and an open mouth, writhing in pain. Green-colored Krishna is nursing from her breast, sucking her blood along with her milk, causing her distress. She is wearing a red saree.
Rasa: Shanta

Spatial & Architectural

Zone within Temple: Sanctum
Position in Pradakshina Sequence: 7
Adjacent Panels: Durga and Narasimha

Narrative

Textual Source: Bhagavata Purana
Mythological Tale: Kamsa the king of Mathura, learns that he will die at the hand of his nephew. In a bid to save the baby, krishnan’s father exchanges his newborn with that of Nandagopan and Yashoda’s child. However, Kamsa later comes to know of this and sends out different asuras to kill the infant. Poothana is one such asura woman who takes the form of a beautiful woman and anoints her breasts with poison. krishnan being the incarnation of Vishnu realizes this but still drinks from her breast anyway. As time progressed, nothing happened to krishnan. Moreover, he began to drink her blood along with her milk, causing her distress. Slowly she loses her powers, returns to her form as Poothana, the asura, and dies.
Episode: Poothanamoksham

Condition & Documentation

Condition: Poor
Deterioration Type: Plaster loss
Restoration Status: Unrestored
Documentation Type: DSLR full panel
Permission Basis: Temple priest
Date of Documentation: 15/07/2024
Artist: Unknown
Identifier: KTK_P007
Rights / Notes: These images may not be reproduced, redistributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior permission.