Krishna and Balarama Enter the Arena in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, June 2018

Page from a Bhagavata Purana Series: Krishna and Balarama Enter the Arena to Wrestle Chanura and Mushtaka (Primary Title)

Unknown (Artist)

Date: ca. 1800

Culture: Indian

Category: Paintings, Works On Paper

Medium: opaque watercolor on paper

Collection: South Asian Art

Geography: Punjab Hills, Kangra region, India

Dimensions: Sheet: 10 3/4 × 16 5/8 in. (27.31 × 42.23 cm)

Object Number: 68.8.85


This elegant Kangra painting depicts a moment leading up to Krishna’s final defeat of his uncle Kansa, the evil king of Mathura. Accompanied by his foster brother Balarama, Krishna had traveled to Mathura to attend a festival and tournament. At the city gates, the two young gods were attacked by Kuvalayapida, a monstrous elephant posted there by Kansa. After easily defeating the elephant, the divine duo faced the last of Kansa’s demons—his enormous wrestlers Chanura and Mushtika—before slaying the king himself. Here the blue-skinned Krishna and his light-skinned brother enter the tournament arena, bearing Kuvalayapida’s freshly severed tusks. Before them stand the giant wrestlers, rubbing themselves with oil and dust in preparation for the match. Kansa sits on a raised dais to the left, as a crowd of spectators, organized by social rank, looks on.

Text from: www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-110007332