Description
The beauty of Lord Vishnu, the preserver entity of the creator-preserver-annihilator trinity of the Hindu pantheon, is destined to manifest in ihaloka (earthly realm of existence) a total of nine times. Lord Krishna is the most deeply revered avatara (manifestation) of the eight that have already traversed through ihaloka. The sculpture that you see on this page captures the essentials of the Lord Krishna iconography. The first thing about this work of art that strikes the viewer is the tribhanga stance of His body. The youthful deity’s body is jutting out (bhanga) laterally at three (tri) different junctures namely the shoulders, the hips, and the ankles. With both anterior hands He holds a peacock flute up to His lips, divine music emanating from its multiple apertures. The posterior hands bear Vaishnavite emblems usually found in the iconography of Lord Vishnu Himself.The lotus feet of the Lord rest on the pistil of a gigantic lotus of gold petals, resting upside down on a quadrilateral pedestal. A towering crown sits on the handsome brow of the deity, which is complemented by angular features set in a round face. A world of silken sashes and ample gold ornaments bedeck the body of the Vrindavan cowherd, which make a statement of His divine splendour.
