The Splendor of Wall Paintings in Bundi

Fig. 4: Krishna dancing and fluting, from the Chitra Mahal, pp 32-33. Detail of The raising of Mount Govardhan. When Krishna told his village friends that they should worship local gods, not those from far away, his words angered the god Indra, who lived in the distant skies. Indra sent down a furious storm in punishment, but Krishna calmly lifted a nearby mountain and held it aloft to protect the villagers – showing thereby his great powers. Here he is shown holding the mountain with the little finger of his upraised hand.

Photographs by Hilde Lauwert, caption text by Milo C. Beach.