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.
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.
