Important Notice

Mid 19th Century

Jaipur

Size: 15 X 21 in (38.1 x 53.3 cm)


This large painting from Jaipur shows the fierce battle between Indra the God of heaven and Lord Krishna who was aided by Arjuna.

Agni, the god of fire wanted to eat the Khandava forest. But Indra, the God of heaven stopped the process with torrential rain to protect a friend who lived in the forest. Thus the battle between fire and rain continued. A tired Agni finally approached Krishna and Arjuna for help.

A battle ensued between Indra and his supporters on one side and Krishna and Arjuna on the other. In this scene one can see a blue sky with thundering clouds. Indra is seated on his white elephant, Airavata. A shower of arrows can be seen flowing from both sides. A group of hermits seated in celestial vehicles approach Indra in an effort to pacify him. To the left one can see the Khandava forest engulfed in flames. The arrows from both sides almost form a canopy above the forest.

Every detail in this painting has been perfectly attended to. It is interesting to see the manner in which the gold armory is textured. The chariots also have very fine motifs. The hermits have a divine look and have long white beards. Even the peacock feathers adorning Krishna's crown are delicately painted. Airavata, Indra's vehicle is skillfully painted with half his body camouflaged in the thick smoky clouds.

The painting is a fine specimen of the Jaipur School. This Jaipur painting is one of a well known series of paintings based on themes from the epic, Mahabharata.

One more example from this set, which shows the next sequence in this battle, is also included in this catalogue (lot no. 20).

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