Krishna is represented in the Indian traditions in many ways, but with some common features.
[88] His iconography typically de-
picts him with black, dark, or blue skin, like Vishnu.[89] However, ancient and medieval reliefs and stone-based arts depict him in
the natural color of the material out of which he is formed, both in India and in southeast Asia.[90][91] In some texts, his skin is poeti-
cally described as the color of Jambul (Jamun, a purple-colored fruit).[92]
Krishna with cows, herdsmen, and Gopis.
Krishna is often depicted wearing a peacock-feather wreath or crown, and playing the bansuri (Indian flute).[93][94] In this form, he
is usually shown standing with one leg bent in front of the other in the Tribhanga posture. He is sometimes accompanied by
cows or a calf, which symbolise the divine herdsman Govinda. Alternatively, he is shown as a romantic young boy with
the gopis (milkmaids), often making music or playing pranks.[95]
Krishna lifting Govardhana at Bharat Kala Bhavan, recovered from
Varanasi. It is dated to the Gupta Empire era (4th/6th century CE). [96]
In other icons, he is a part of battlefield scenes of the epic Mahabharata. He is shown as a charioteer, notably when he is ad-
dressing the Pandava prince Arjuna, symbolically reflecting the events that led to the Bhagavad Gita – a scripture of Hinduism.
In these popular depictions, Krishna appears in the front as the charioteer, either as a counsel listening to Arjuna or as the driver
of the chariot while Arjuna aims his arrows in the battlefield of Kurukshetra.[97][98]
Alternate icons of Krishna show him as a baby (Bala Krishna, the child Krishna), a toddler crawling on his hands and knees, a
dancing child, or an innocent-looking child playfully stealing or consuming butter (Makkan Chor),[99] holding Laddu in his hand
(Laddu Gopal)[100][101] or as a cosmic infant sucking his toe while floating on a banyan leaf during the Pralaya (the cosmic dissolu-
tion) observed by sage Markandeya.[102] Regional variations in the iconography of Krishna are seen in his different forms, such
as Jaganatha in Odisha, Vithoba in Maharashtra,[103] Shrinathji in Rajasthan[104] and Guruvayoorappan in Kerala.[105]
Guidelines for the preparation of Krishna icons in design and architecture are described in medieval-era Sanskrit texts on Hindu
temple arts such as Vaikhanasa agama, Vishnu dharmottara, Brihat samhita, and Agni Purana.[106] Similarly, early medieval-
era Tamil texts also contain guidelines for sculpting Krishna and Rukmini. Several statues made according to these guidelines
are in the collections of the Government Museum, Chennai.[107]
Krishna iconography forms an important element in the figural sculpture on 17th–19th century terracotta temples of Bengal. In
many temples, the stories of Krishna are depicted on a long series of narrow panels along the base of the facade. In other tem-
ples, the important Krishnalila episodes are depicted on large brick panels above the entrance arches or on the walls surround-
ing the entrance.[108]
Life and legends
This summary is an account based on literary details from the Mahābhārata, the Harivamsa, the Bhagavata Purana, and
the Vishnu Purana. The scenes from the narrative are set in ancient India, mostly in the present states of Uttar Pradesh, Bi-
har, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, and Gujarat. The legends about Krishna's life are called Krishna charitas (IAST: Kṛṣṇacaritas).
[109]
Birth
Main article: Birth of Krishna
Baby Krishna on a swing, depicted with his foster
parents Nanda and Yashoda.
In the Krishna Charitas, Krishna is born to Devaki and her husband, Vasudeva, of the Yadava clan in Mathura.[110] Devaki's
brother is a tyrant named Kamsa. At Devaki's wedding, according to Puranic legends, Kamsa is told by fortune tellers that a
child of Devaki would kill him. Sometimes, it is depicted as an akashvani announcing Kamsa's death. Kamsa arranges to kill all
of Devaki's children. When Krishna is born, Vasudeva secretly carries the infant Krishna away across the Yamuna, and ex-
changes him with Yashoda's daughter. When Kamsa tries to kill the newborn, the exchanged baby appears as the Hindu god-
dess Yogamaya, warning him that his death has arrived in his kingdom, and then disappears, according to the legends in the
Puranas. Krishna grows up with Nanda and his wife, Yashoda, near modern-day Mathura.[111][112][113] Two of Krishna's siblings also
survive, namely Balarama and Subhadra, according to these legends.[114] The day of the birth of Krishna is celebrated as Krishna
Janmashtami.
Childhood and youth
The legends of Krishna's childhood and youth describe him as a cow-herder, a mischievous boy whose pranks earn him the
nickname Makhan Chor (butter thief), and a protector who steals the hearts of the people in both Gokul and Vrindavana. The
texts state, for example, that Krishna lifts the Govardhana hill to protect the inhabitants of Vrindavana from devastating rains and
floods.[115]
Krishna and Balarama Studying with the
Brahman Sandipani (Bhagavata Purana, 1525–1550 CE print).
Other legends describe him as an enchanter and playful lover of the gopis (milkmaids) of Vrindavana, especially Radha. These
metaphor-filled love stories are known as the Rasa lila and were romanticized in the poetry of Jayadeva, author of the Gita
Govinda. They are also central to the development of the Krishna bhakti traditions worshiping Radha Krishna.[116]
Krishna's childhood illustrates the Hindu concept of Lila, playing for fun and enjoyment and not for sport or gain. His interaction
with the gopis at the rasa dance or Rasa-lila is an example. Krishna plays his flute and the gopis come immediately, from what-
ever they were doing, to the banks of the Yamuna River and join him in singing and dancing. Even those who could not physi-
cally be there join him through meditation. He is the spiritual essence and the love-eternal in existence, the gopis metaphorically
represent the prakṛti matter and the impermanent body.[117]: 256
This Lila is a constant theme in the legends of Krishna's childhood and youth. Even when he is battling with a serpent to protect
others, he is described in Hindu texts as if he were playing a game.[117]: 255 This quality of playfulness in Krishna is celebrated dur-
ing festivals as Rasa-Lila and Janmashtami, where Hindus in some regions such as Maharashtra playfully mimic his legends,
such as by making human gymnastic pyramids to break open handis (clay pots) hung high in the air to "steal" butter or butter-
milk, spilling it all over the group.[117]: 253–261
Adulthood
Krishna with his consorts Rukmini and Satyabhama and his
mount Garuda, Tamil Nadu, India, late 12th–13th century [118]
Krishna legends then describe his return to Mathura. He overthrows and kills the tyrant king, his maternal uncle Kamsa/Kansa
after quelling several assassination attempts by Kamsa. He reinstates Kamsa's father, Ugrasena, as the king of the Ya-
davas and becomes a leading prince at the court.[119] In one version of the Krishna story, as narrated by Shanta Rao, Krishna af-
ter Kamsa's death leads the Yadavas to the newly built city of Dwaraka. Thereafter Pandavas rise. Krishna befriends Arjuna and
the other Pandava princes of the Kuru kingdom. Krishna plays a key role in the Mahabharata.[120]
The Bhagavata Purana describes eight wives of Krishna that appear
