Lord Krishna Overpowers And Dances Murals Distinguish

Murals distinguish the folk art of Kerala. A fine tradition to be found in the temples and palaces dotting the Malabar coast, the earliest examples are to be found in Tirunandikkara and Tiruvanchikulam, dated from the ninth to the twelfth centuries. The one you see on this page is a contemporary specimen of this ancient means of art, and conforms to the post-fifteenth century style of Kerala murals.

folkart of Kerala

The waters of the dishevelled Yamuna swirl around them as witness to this historic episode. The same have been depicted with simple cloud-like curves filled in with a powdery blue blending out into white. The vibrant colour palette of the Lord's form in the foreground makes a powerful, aesthetic statement. The shocks of fiery orange vines that flank His expressive face, His superbly gathered composure in the midst of battling evil, and the matching peacock feather-crested crown and shringar, complete the picture of Hinduism's most charming deva.

The Yogic Roopa Of Lord Mahadeva

 The smooth musculature of His form to the realistic stance and composure of countenance, it is the medium that lends these things to the work of art. It is with a great deal of skill that the finest-quality marble has been sculpted and polished to give it the inimitable svaroopa of the Lord. 

White Marble Sculpture

those eyes on that haloed face that are teeming with life and wisdom is the third eye of the yogi, further above which is a sliver of the moon in His dreadlocks. Note how the pristine Ganga emerges from the coil on top of His head, a quintessential part of Lord Shiva's iconography, like the naga (serpent) that has wound itself around His shoulders and the janeu that lies across His torso.

                                                                  Bhagawan Shiva

With a hand raised in blessing, it seems from the stance of His feet on the rather minimalistic pedestal that He is on His way through the mountains and not static, which is in keeping with the asceticism of His personality.