Friends Event: Envisioning Krishna in the Bhagavata Purana

This talk introduces exquisitely detailed paintings that were originally part of lavish books of the type commissioned by royals and nobles in Hindu kingdoms across northern and central India during the early modern period. While some of these books (or illustrated manuscripts) visualise literary, religious and historical texts, many pictorialise epic and mythological narratives. Of all the mythological narratives presented in these works, perhaps the most pervasive is the Bhagavata Purana, and in particular its Tenth Book that recounts the adventures of Krishna. I will undertake a discussion of five or six different Bhagavata manuscripts, comparing their respective arrangements of text and image, narrative strategies and style, in order to highlight how storytelling occurs, while simultaneously showcasing their beauty and power.