The Loves of Krishna in Indian Painting and Poetry

This study traces the figure of Krishna as both lover and divine teacher, surveying sources from epic and puranic narratives, the medieval devotional poetry (including the Gita Govinda and later texts), and the visual tradition of Rajasthani and Punjab Hills painting. It explains the myths of birth, youth among cowherds, romances with Radha and the gopis, and later princely roles, and shows how poets and painters use symbolic motifs to encode erotic and religious meanings. Plates, translations, and commentary illuminate the interplay between text and image and the shifting devotional emphases that produced varied Krishna-types.