Krishna and Rukmini in a Garden Pavilion

In this painting, Krishna, the eighth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, who is venerated as a deity in his own right, and his wife, Rukmini, sit within a garden pavilion. In sacred Hindu texts, such as the Bhagavata Purana and Mahabharata, Krishna heroically kidnapped and eloped with Rukmini at her request, in order to prevent an unwanted marriage with the evil king, Shishupala, who is also Krishna’s cousin. The story is also recounted in a poem based on the Mahabharata, the Shishupala Vadha, which focuses on the demise of Shishupala. Pahari Style, Guler School.