Worship of Dvaraka Nathji at Kankroli
Unknown Artist
c. 1880
Medium
Gum tempera and gold on paper
Dimensions
32.8 × 25.2 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of William E. Ward in memory of his wife, Evelyn Svec Ward
Accession Number
2001.161
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The four-armed sculpture on the altar is understood by followers of the Pushti Marg system as a living embodiment of Krishna, who generated another pair of arms when playing hide-and-seek with his favorite milkmaid, Radha. The sculpture is called Dvaraka Nathji, and his shrine is located in Kankroli, near Nathdwara in northwestern India. The golden cows adorn a textile backdrop (pichvai) behind the sculpture and reference Krishna’s youth in a cowherd village.