Many faces of Krishna on display

Coinciding with Krishna Janmashtami, the exhibition displays idols and paintings of the lord — Photo: R. Shivaji Rao

When you think of Lord Krishna, his pranks and his immense love for his devotees come instantly to one’s mind. And like in the case of the idols of Lord Ganesha, artisans have created many variations in the idols of the dark lord.

Coinciding with Krishna Janmashtami, Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation (Poompuhar) has organised a 15-day exhibition titled ‘Krishna Darshan’ at its Anna Salai showroom.

Krishna in various postures including ‘butter’ Krishna,

aalilai Krishna,

Kalinga nardhana Krishna, Krishna with Bhama and Rukmini, Krishna playing

uri adi , Krishna with the gopikas and Krishna giving

Geetopadesham to Arjuna are on display at the exhibition that is on till August 16.

The idols at the exhibition come in a variety of material including bronze, Aligarh brass, black metal, white metal, sandalwood, white wood, rose wood, teak wood, country wood, radium, stone, clay, papier mache, terracotta, marble dust, soap stone, Thanjavur and Jaipur painting and marble stone.

Paintings of Krishna and rose wood inlaid panels too can be had at the exhibition, where a discount of 10 per cent is available for all purchases. The idols are priced from Rs. 100 to Rs. 18 lakh. Poompuhar expects to earn revenue of Rs. 25 lakh through the sale.

This is the first time that the corporation is conducting such an exhibition on Krishna. Rural Industries Minister M.C. Sampath, who inaugurated the exhibition, said that the main objective of Poompuhar was to preserve the ancient crafts of the State.

It also helps to uplift the standard of living of the craftsmen by providing marketing assistance to them, the minister said.

Sheela Rani Chunkath, chairperson and managing director, Poompuhar and G. Santhanam, secretary Handlooms, Handicrafts and Textiles were also present on the occasion.

The exhibition is also being conducted at Poompuhar showrooms in New Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Tiruchy, Thanjavur, Madurai, Kumbakonam, Erode and Kanyakumari.