Plate 36
Krishna meeting Radha
Illustration to a poem from the Sat Sai of Bihari
Kangra, Punjab Hills, c. 1790
N.C. Mehta collection. Bombay
An example of Krishna’s meetings with Radha. Appearing as if by accident Krishna is lolling on his cowherd’s stick while Radha, encouraged by a friend, has come to meet him. As she stands, there ensues that idyllic ‘meeting of eyes’ which Indian sentiment regarded as one of the most electrifying experiences in romance. In the picture, a tree pushes its flowering branches across open rolling slopes, suggesting by its fresh upsurgence the exquisite emotions stirring in Radha’s and Krishna’s hearts.
The picture is most probably by the Kangra artist, Kushala, to whom Plate 21 may also be assigned.