The blue-skinned youth of Vrindavana, Krishna, and his love for Makhan (butter) is a popular theme in the stories of his Baalya (childhood) Lilas (divine plays) where he is endearingly described as Makhan-Chor or butter-thief. As Krishna grows up, the dotting Maakhan Chor turned into the handsome Chitta (mind) Chor who was accused by the milk maidens of Brija of having stolen their Suddha (sense) and Buddha (wisdom).
In this watercolor on paper by Kailash Raj, the artist seems to have combined Krishna’s love for butter and the milk maidens to create a stunningly romantic scene of his Lila in the Basohli idiom of Indian painting. Encased within a broad red border which is a characteristic feature of Basohli art, the romance of Krishna and Radha, the first among all his loved cowherd girls, blossoms vividly.
The young couple is inside a palace room marked by the sturdy pillars on each side, the wide shed that extends outside the border, and the red sandstone and marble buildings in the background. The use of muted shades in the building structures and the secondary elements of the painting is the artist’s trick to keep the undivided attention of the viewer on the sweetness of the scene that is being presented here.
A rich silken carpet in deep red color, with elaborate floral patterns on its body and border, is spread on the floor on which Sri Krishna sits in a leisurely, reclining posture. He is clad in a vibrant yellow dhoti (Pitambara), red scarf, a royal crown with emerald and lotus embellishment, pearl ornaments, and a long floral garland. Krishna’s alluring blue body is beautified by auspicious marks painted with Kasturi (musk) and Chandan (sandalwood) pastes.
His gaze is pointed upwards and so is his left hand, with which he appears to be asking for the butter kept in the earthen pot that hangs from the roof. With hurriedness that accompanies a deep, affectionate love, Radha lunges forward to fulfill the wish of her beloved. Her exquisite yellow scarf, transparent Peshwaz (floor length attire), and legs clad in gorgeous red Pajama- all carry a beautiful sense of her swift movement.
The copious use of bright red in this Krishna-Radha Basohli miniature has painted the whole scene in the eternal romance of the couple. Taking an idyllic moment from the life of the divine duo, Kailash Raj brings to you the tested pairing of Radha-Krishna and Basohli school.
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