Lord Krishna Lifts Mt. GoverdhanA painting from Harivamsa--the Persian translation of Hindu epic Mahabharta.
In an age when Europe practiced religious intolerence, Akbar practiced religious freedom. Eager to know about the different religions of his empire, he commissioned the translation of Hindu epic into Persian. He assigned the work of translation to one of the most orthodox members of his court, Badaoni. Akbar asked his famous painters to illustrate the stories from Purans and from Mahabharta.
Harivamsa Puran is an appendix to Mahabharta and traces the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Here we see Lord Krishna lifting Mt. Goverdhan. The villagers are all gathered under the mountain. Besides the religious message that God protects us all, this painting depicts the villagers of its time. Interestingly while it realistically depicts the people, the mountain is borrowed from Persian miniature tradition. Again there is a harmonious fusion of Hindu and Islamic arts.
Harivamsa Puran is an appendix to Mahabharta and traces the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Here we see Lord Krishna lifting Mt. Goverdhan. The villagers are all gathered under the mountain. Besides the religious message that God protects us all, this painting depicts the villagers of its time. Interestingly while it realistically depicts the people, the mountain is borrowed from Persian miniature tradition. Again there is a harmonious fusion of Hindu and Islamic arts.
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