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 2^nd 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 2^nd 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.