Krishna's Marriage to Kalinda, page from a Dispersed Bhagavata Purana manuscript

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

In this animated and colorful painting, one of Krishna's many marriages is being celebrated: here he weds Kalinda. Traditional Hindu weddings feature a fire, which the bride and groom circle seven times, and a wedding canopy, seen in the center. The god (painted in blue) and his bride are shown nearby while priests officiate. To the right, a joyous crowd of kings, nobles and elephants have gathered while a more orderly procession of young women with offerings and instruments gather at the left. In a private chamber at the upper left we see the bride and groom again celebrating their first wedding night. Outside the palace, trades people and boatmen busily conduct their daily lives. This scene is set in Dwarka, the city where Krishna is said to have settled later in life and from where he reigned. The painting shows an intricate maze of houses, palace cupolas, and temple spires, enclosed in red brick wallsa nd set along the water's edge of the Arabian Sea.

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