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

Krishna as Venugopala, green-skinned Krishna is depicted as playing a flute. He has peacock feathers on the top of his head. His legs are crossed. He is wearing a yellow dhoti and standing over a lotus-shaped pedestal. Beside him are four gopis, two on either side of him. They are also standing on a pedestal. There is one gopi holding a ilathaalam in her hands, and another holding a veena in her hand. The gopis on the extreme right and left are holding their hands together in Anjali mudra, listening to the music of the flute. There are also several cows listening and enjoying the music of the flute. They are situated below the feet of Krishna. There are also two cowherds beside the cows. There are two alavattams above Krishna's head. A full-blown forest scene is depicted above, with trees containing squirrels, birds, snakes, and peacocks, all existing in harmony, listening to the music of Krishna.

Iconography

Primary Deity/Figure: Krishna
Secondary Figures: Gopis, Gopas.
Iconographic Form: Krishna (Vishnu's reincarnation)
Iconographic Attributes: Krishna as Venugopala, green-skinned Krishna with two arms playing the flute, wearing a yellow dhoti with green and red bands at the top, is wearing anklets, armlets, bangles, rings, necklaces, earrings, and an ornate crown. There is a jut of hair above the crown, which is decorated with peacock feathers. His legs are crossed. He's standing above a lotus pedestal. There are four gopis surrounding him. To his right is golden-skinned gopi holding a ilathalam or cymbal. She is also wearing a yellow-colored cloth, lower garment and is standing on a pedastal. There is another gopi standing near her on a lotus-shaped pedestal. She is green-skinned and holding her hands together in anjali mudra. To the left of Krishna is a green-skinned gopi holding a veena in her hands. Beside her is a red-skinned gopi with hands folded in anjali mudra. There are two alavattams on either side of Krishna's head. There are also two peacocks sitting above the alavattams. There is a forest depicted in the background with lots of birds and squirrels. Below there are several cows, golden- and white-skinned, along with several gopas or cowherds. There is also a serpent hanging from the tree. Between the two sets of cows, there is a flame-like pattern from which snakes seem to be emerging. There is mashipoovu motif at the bottom of it all.
Rasa: Shanta

Spatial & Architectural

Temple: Palace interior
Zone within Temple: Ramayana Chamber
Position in Pradakshina Sequence: Not Applicable
Adjacent Panels: Ashtabuja Venugopala and Sreekrishnaleela

Narrative

Textual Source: Non-narrative
Mythological Tale: Krishna as Venugopala, or the one who plays the flute, is one of the most common depictions of Sri Krishna. In most depictions, he wears a yellow dhoti and holds a flute to his lips using both his hands. In this sketch also, he is holding the flute to his lips using both his hands, and as if he is playing the flute. He wears an ornate crown with feathers on it. Krishna's music is supposed to be attractive to the nature around him as well as the gopas, gopikas and the cows that he is in charge of.
Episode: Non narrative

Condition & Documentation

Condition: Good
Deterioration Type: Pigment loss
Restoration Status: Unrestored
Documentation Type: DSLR full panel
Permission Basis: ASI permission
Date of Documentation: 01/08/2024
Artist: Unknown
Identifier: MCP_P028
Rights / Notes: These images may not be reproduced, redistributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior permission.