Dana-lila: Krishna Demands a Toll (Primary Title)
Unknown (Artist)
The lower portion of this painting seems to depict the episode from Krishna’s childhood known as the Dana-lila, when the mischievous deity demanded from the gopis (cow maidens) a toll of milk for their safe passage. The blue-skinned cowherd and his friends raise their hands to stop a gopi carrying a tray of food, while a lead cow appears to charge her. The painting’s upper register shows a scene of worship, probably the Dana-ekadashi festival, which celebrates this story. To the left, an image of Krishna playing his flute stands on a white plinth behind a table bearing vessels. Surrounding him is a painted textile backdrop, or pichhavai, showing four gopis, two of whom bear pots of milk. Seated women observe from a pavilion on the right, and in the middle, female devotees carry offerings through a rocky landscape, probably the area of Mount Govardhan known as Danaghati (Toll Pass), where the Dana-lila occurred.
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