Sri Krishna as Sri Nathji (artist unknown)
Sri Nathji is a special form of Krishna and is believed to be self-manifested. Sri Nathji’s temple is more like a haveli, a traditional house arranged around a courtyard, than a normal temple. It is, in fact, regarded as Sri Krishna’s home. Nij Mandir, Sri NathJi’s inner sanctum, is a small room constructed with a series of wooden viewing platforms, stepped at intervals like a cinema hall with railings separating women (in front) and men (at the back).
There are eight times during the day when the temple is opened for darshan. During the darshan times, it is packed with devotees. Each darshan--mangala, shringara, gwala, rajabhoga, utthapan, bhog, sandhaya arti and shayana--has a specific theme. Shri Nathji is worshipped in rituals of bathing, dressing, eating, taking the cows to graze in the fields, bringing the cows back at dusk, and going to bed.
Pushtimarg is the devotional sect founded by Vallabhacharya in the fifteeenth century. According to Pushtimarg belief, Shri Nathji is a living child, a Svarupa, not a murti or consecrated statue into which the Deity is invoked temporarily through worship, but a living incarnation of the child Krishna. Like any child, He has many needs that must be attended, enshrined within the eight darshans of the day.
The entrance to the shrine has exquisite silver doors, with rich carvings depicting the life stories of Krishna. A red curtain veils Shri Nathji. There is total silence as the curtain is ceremoniously parted by the priests, then all the devotees cry out "Jai Krishna" over and over as Shri Nathji comes into view. Shri Nathji is dressed in different garments depending on the ritual of the moment. Devotees reach for the blessing of the arati before turning to prayers, personal mantras and supplications.There is always a pichwai (a special large painting) hung on the wall behind Sri Nathji during the darshan, and this is changed according to the occasion. Generally, pichhvais fall into three broad categories: those made for festival days, like the one on display; those made for specific seasons, monsoon, summer and winter; and those that express general themes and are not necessarily bound by convention.
There are eight times during the day when the temple is opened for darshan. During the darshan times, it is packed with devotees. Each darshan--mangala, shringara, gwala, rajabhoga, utthapan, bhog, sandhaya arti and shayana--has a specific theme. Shri Nathji is worshipped in rituals of bathing, dressing, eating, taking the cows to graze in the fields, bringing the cows back at dusk, and going to bed.
Pushtimarg is the devotional sect founded by Vallabhacharya in the fifteeenth century. According to Pushtimarg belief, Shri Nathji is a living child, a Svarupa, not a murti or consecrated statue into which the Deity is invoked temporarily through worship, but a living incarnation of the child Krishna. Like any child, He has many needs that must be attended, enshrined within the eight darshans of the day.
The entrance to the shrine has exquisite silver doors, with rich carvings depicting the life stories of Krishna. A red curtain veils Shri Nathji. There is total silence as the curtain is ceremoniously parted by the priests, then all the devotees cry out "Jai Krishna" over and over as Shri Nathji comes into view. Shri Nathji is dressed in different garments depending on the ritual of the moment. Devotees reach for the blessing of the arati before turning to prayers, personal mantras and supplications.There is always a pichwai (a special large painting) hung on the wall behind Sri Nathji during the darshan, and this is changed according to the occasion. Generally, pichhvais fall into three broad categories: those made for festival days, like the one on display; those made for specific seasons, monsoon, summer and winter; and those that express general themes and are not necessarily bound by convention.
Jagannath (artist unknown)
Painted on cotton.
This form is worshiped by Vaishnavas as the abstract form of Krishna. The deities - Jagannath, Balabhadra (Balarama) and Subhadra (Krishna's sister) are usually worshipped in the temple, but once in every Ashadha Masa, shukla paksha dvitiya,with the star pushya in asterism, (Rainy Season, usually June or July), they are brought out onto the main high street of Puri and travel (3 km) to the Mausimaa (Gundicha) Temple, allowing the public to have Darshan (holy view) of the deities as they pass. This festival is known as Ratha Yatra. The Rath carts themselves are huge wooden structures built new every year and are pulled by the millions of pilgrims who turn up for the event from all parts of the Globe. The festival commemorates Krishna's return to His home in Vrindavan after a long period of separation from the people there.
This is from an original Wikipedia article located at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagannath
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
This form is worshiped by Vaishnavas as the abstract form of Krishna. The deities - Jagannath, Balabhadra (Balarama) and Subhadra (Krishna's sister) are usually worshipped in the temple, but once in every Ashadha Masa, shukla paksha dvitiya,with the star pushya in asterism, (Rainy Season, usually June or July), they are brought out onto the main high street of Puri and travel (3 km) to the Mausimaa (Gundicha) Temple, allowing the public to have Darshan (holy view) of the deities as they pass. This festival is known as Ratha Yatra. The Rath carts themselves are huge wooden structures built new every year and are pulled by the millions of pilgrims who turn up for the event from all parts of the Globe. The festival commemorates Krishna's return to His home in Vrindavan after a long period of separation from the people there.
This is from an original Wikipedia article located at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagannath
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Jagannath as Krishna Dancing on a Serpent (artist unknown)
Painted on cotton.
This painting depicts Jannath as Krishna dancing on the head of the serpent Kaliya. There lived in Kalindi a fierce serpent called Kaliya with his wife and relations. The trees on the banks of the river were withered and had dried up on account of the poisonous breath emitted by the serpent. One day the Gopalas and their cattle drank water in the Kalindi and fell down dead. Then Krishna climbed a tree on the banks of the river and jumped into its waters and Kaliya rushed forward to him with his hoods spread out. Krsna stepped on the hoods and danced thereon. Kaliya vomited blood, got exhausted and prayed to Krishna for mercy. At the instance of Krishna the serpent with its family emigrated to the Ramanaka island.
This painting depicts Jannath as Krishna dancing on the head of the serpent Kaliya. There lived in Kalindi a fierce serpent called Kaliya with his wife and relations. The trees on the banks of the river were withered and had dried up on account of the poisonous breath emitted by the serpent. One day the Gopalas and their cattle drank water in the Kalindi and fell down dead. Then Krishna climbed a tree on the banks of the river and jumped into its waters and Kaliya rushed forward to him with his hoods spread out. Krsna stepped on the hoods and danced thereon. Kaliya vomited blood, got exhausted and prayed to Krishna for mercy. At the instance of Krishna the serpent with its family emigrated to the Ramanaka island.
Vishvarupa (artist unknown)
This painting is in the traditional Tanjore style of Tamil Nadu, which features bright colors and liberal use of gold leaf. As is usual with Tanjore paintings, it is painted on a board rather than paper.
The subject, Vishvarupa, is from the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, where Lord Krishna reveals his cosmic form to Arjuna on the battlefield.
Arjuna is shown in the lower right corner of the painting, kneeling before Krishna's divine form, overwhelmed and about to ask Krishna to return to his more ordinary form. On the lower left, is the chariot. Krishna was acting as Arjuna's charioteer at the time of this great discourse. The chariots of the sun and moon are shown in the upper left and right respectively.
This is an unusual subject for Tanjore paintings, which is what makes it particularly interesting.
The subject, Vishvarupa, is from the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, where Lord Krishna reveals his cosmic form to Arjuna on the battlefield.
Arjuna is shown in the lower right corner of the painting, kneeling before Krishna's divine form, overwhelmed and about to ask Krishna to return to his more ordinary form. On the lower left, is the chariot. Krishna was acting as Arjuna's charioteer at the time of this great discourse. The chariots of the sun and moon are shown in the upper left and right respectively.
This is an unusual subject for Tanjore paintings, which is what makes it particularly interesting.