Krishna

Dimensions: 35cm high, 10cm wide
Code: CLAY 1621

Vintage terracotta bommai of Krishna from Tamil Nadu from the 1940s/50s. Krishna is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one of the most revered Indian deities. Krishna’s various life stages are all celebrated, a god child, a practical joker when working a cow herd, a prolific and accomplished lover, a divine hero and then finally a supreme being. His teachings are revealed in the Bhagavad Gita, which is the most widely translated and read Hindu scripture in the world. Krishna’s characteristics are that he is often depicted as blue in colour and has a flute in his hand as can be seen here in his right hand. He is also adorned with numerous gold jewellery pieces including a crown and multiple necklaces. The lovely figure also wears a flower garland and has a soft kind expression on his face. Devotees can worship Krishna on any day and at anytime, however, Wednesdays are considered to be his auspicious day.

Bommai are figures used for the display of dolls and figurines that takes place in South India during the Hindu festival of Navaratri, which is a nine-day festival celebrating the victory of good over evil. In Southern India the bommai are presented in the home on tier shelves, and friends and neighbours are invited to visit to view the displays and exchange gifts and sweets. There is evidence of this tradition dating back to the fourteenth century. Today, the exhibits are typically thematic, narrating a legend from a Hindu text or a secular cultural issue. The dolls are collected and passed on from one generation to another as an heirloom and new figures are added each year. These terracotta figures are also known as Kolu, Gombe Habba, Bommai Kolu, Bommalu Kolueru or Bommala Koluvu.