This small yet delicately fine statue of Krishna subduing the great serpent Kaliya symbolises the playful, mischievous, as well as powerfully divine qualities of our ‘makhan chor.’ Executed in the ‘madhuchista vidhana’ fashion or the lost wax technique, this bronze image portrays Krishna dancing atop the large hood of Kalinga, with its tail in one hand and the other hand raised in the fear dispelling ‘abhaya mudra’ gesture. Kalinga’s body is itself placed on a raised lotus pedestal, and Krishna is shown wearing a high ‘mukuta’ and ornaments over his body. It was upon the action of Kaliya, who had taken refuge in the waters of Yamuna near Vrindavan to escape Garuda, contaminating the water and scaring the nearby villagers, that Krishna sought to take matters into his own hands. When Kalinga interfered with Radha, Krishna jumped inside the water to wrestle with the great snake, stomping his weight on Kaliya’s hood which let go of all the toxic venom that the serpent had stored inside. Against the warnings of the villagers, Krishna started dancing on Kaliya, slowly decimating its life – and only stopped when his several wives begged to let him go.Krishna’s conquering over Kaliya’s nefarious presence is an oft-told story that inspires confidence among Krishna’s devotees, restoring faith in their saviour who shall cut through the vice of ego and lead the devout on the path of dharma. Exotic India provides several iterations of this mythic episode in sculpture, which can be viewed here.
