The God Indra Worships Ganesha, folio from the Tehri Garhwal series of the Gita Govinda
The god Indra, identifiable by the many eyes that cover his body, beseeches Ganesha to remove spiritual obstacles. Sitting on a low throne within a pavilion, Ganesha wears a crown and is treated like an icon in a temple, rather than as a narrative participant. This is the first painting in a long series that illustrates the Gita Govinda, a twelfth-century devotional poem by Jayadeva celebrating the love between Krishna and Radha. Here, Ganesha’s appearance helps facilitate the reader’s access to these deities. The painters who produced this work are descendants of the great artist Manaku (active ca. 1725–60) and his brother Nainsukh (active ca. 1735–78). This generation of artists drew on forms and stylistic idioms established by the two siblings to realize this masterpiece of the late Pahari tradition.
Artwork Details
- Title: The God Indra Worships Ganesha, folio from the Tehri Garhwal series of the Gita Govinda
- Date: ca. 1775–80
- Culture: India, Punjab Hills, Kingdom of Kangra or Guler
- Medium: Ink and opaque watercolor on paper
- Dimensions: 9 13/16 × 6 7/8 in. (25 × 17.4 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Steven Kossak, The Kronos Collections, 2021
- Object Number: 2021.435
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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