Krishna and Satyabhama Storm the Citadel of Naraka, folio 97 from a Bhagavata Purana
1775
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1775
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a bright, busy fortress on a mountain, packed with tiny rooms and walls. Krishna, blue-skinned and riding a giant eagle, smashes through the gates with his wife beside him. Inside, a demon king lounges with stolen heavenly women. The painting is one page from a long storybook about Krishna’s adventures. The fortress is drawn like a mandala—a sacred circle—so the whole scene feels like a map of the cosmos, not just a battle. If you like this kind of storytelling art, look up more works from Nepal, Kathmandu.
