SRIKRISHNA MUSEUM, KURUKSHETRA
Krishna, the embodiment of
intellectual and spiritual glory has been a subject of adoration ever since the
character got deified as a God. His versatile personality made him a deity.
Unfolding the mystery of Krishna is virtually an enchanting experience as every
time you untwine the fabric of Krishna you discover a new dimension in it. The
divinity and human aspect of Krishna as revealed by his character in the
literature is unparalleled in the history of human civilisation. He has been a
source of perennial inspiration to the art and literature. He is the most
popular character in Indian myths and legends.
Every museum has its own
character and personality. With a view to awakening the people morally and
culturally through the ideas and ideals of Krishna and to enlighten the people
the history of the region, Srikrishna Museum was established in 1987 by
Kurukshetra Development Board. Subsequently it was shifted to the present
building in 1991 and new block was added in the year 1995. Further in the year 2012 a Multimedia
Mahabharata & Gita Gallery was created in third museum building. The theme
of the museum is Krishna, Kurukshetra and Mahabharata.
At present houses nine galleries spread
over the three buildings which display the artifacts representing Krishna as
godhead, an incarnation of Vishnu, a great Philosopher, an epic hero, an astute
statesman and a supreme lover. The personality and teachings of Krishna have permeated into
the national ethos and his exploits and miracles are a source of inspiration for
the artistic expressions manifested in all parts of the country in their
traditional folk and classical art forms.
The major collections of
this gallery pertaining to Krishna theme consist of a variety of art objects
such as woodcarvings, metal casting, and ivory carvings. The wood carver evolves his style according
to the qualities of the wood. The gallery comprises a wide range of wooden
sculptures mostly from Odisha, Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Interesting among the
wooden objects displayed here are the four wooden panels showing the
incarnations of Lord Vishnu and scenes from Krishna's early life. The style is
typical of Orissa and belongs to the 18-19th century AD. The other prominent
wooden panels from Odisha displayed here are depicting the childhood exploits
of Krishna i.e. Aristhavadha (Krishna killing a bull demon), Kesivadha (Krishna
killing a horse demon), Putanavadha (Krishna killing demoness Putana),
Kubjanugraha (Krishna curing a hunch backed lady) etc.
The notable wood carvings
from Tamilnadu displayed in the gallery include some stylistically massive and
thematically interesting specimens such as Venugopal (standing cross-legged
with a flute held in both hands), Dasavatara (ten incarnations of lord Vishnu),
Kaliyamardana (Krishna subduing a serpent called Kaliya). Among the wood
carvings from Karnataka a sandalwood carving displays Krishna as Venugopal on
one side and other side displays exquisitely carved image of Gajendra Moksha
(Vishnu rescuing the elephant).
The other important
display of this gallery are the metal objects which include various exploits of
Krishna such as Bal-Krishna, Yashoda-Krishna, Navanita-Krishna, Venugopala,
Krishna with gopis, Kaliyamardana, Krishna with Rukmini and Satyabhama, etc.
Notable among the metal sculptures
are Kaliyamardana from
Tamilnadu, and Yasoda with Krishna and Balarama and Varaha Avatara from
Ganjam (Odisha).
Among the notable ivory
collections of this gallery is a beautiful ivory figure of Krishna standing in
tribhanga pose. Some smaller pieces showing scenes from Krishna's life are also
displayed here. Special notice should be taken of an ivory plaque with the
painting of the Govaradhana scene in late Mughal style, c.18th century CE.
The most important
sculpture on display is a Kushana sculpture of Ekanamsa recovered from
Faridabad belonging to C. 1st century CE. It shows the figures of Balarama,
Ekanmsha (sister of Krishna & Balarama) and Krishna. Another unique image
is of Hari-Pitamaha, made of buff sandstone, C. 9th cent. CE. It is a rare
composite image of Vishnu and Brahma. Two enlarged replicas of an Indo-Greek
copper coin issued by the kind Agathocles in 2nd cent. BCE found
from Ai-khanum in Afghanistan shows Balarama and Krishna on the overse and
reverse. This happened to be the
earliest representation of Krishna in the Indian art and iconography. Hence, it
has a lot of significance from the point of view of the origin of art of
Krishna in India on one hand and the development of the Bhagavata religion in
the 2nd cent. BCE in Afghanistan region.
The next gallery is for audio-visual show on
Gita. This eleven-minute show is the major attraction of the Mahabharata
Gallery. Through this show, the otherwise difficult philosophy of Gita is
communicated to common audience in the manner they can understand its contents.
According to Curator of
the museum, Rajinder Rana, all around the year educational activities are
organized in the museum. Museum is centrally air-conditioned. All efforts are
being made by museum administration to provide basic amenities in the museum
premises for the visitors. The average number of visitors is around one
thousand per day. Canteen facility is available in the premises. The attempts
of improving the landscape outside are being made where one can enjoy after the
museum visit. Museum remains open all around the year barring on Holi and
Deepawali, the two festivals.
