A woven silk fragment depicting Krishna

Assam, mid 16th Century

Footnotes

The two top panels and the partial bottom panel depict a human figure in the open beak of a large bird. The Assamese inscriptions surrounding these figures repeat the word Bokashur, indicating that this panel represents the fight of young Krishna with the crane demon Bakasura. In this fight Krishna kills the crane demon by pushing apart and snapping its beak.

Below these panels is a panel depicting two crowned bipedal figures with monkey tails engaged in combat. The Assamese inscription above this scene says Bali, followed by an undeciphered word that might be Shugri. This scene may be depicting the fight between the vanara prince brothers Vali and Sugriva in the Ramayana. Rama kills Vali with an arrow during this fight.

For three comparable examples and a discussion on the Assamese Vaishnavite tradition of weaving the Vrindavani Vastra, see "57-59. Three Vaishnavite Silks from Assam" in Francesca Galloway's Treasures from India (London, 2006). Galloway writes that these ritual cloths depicted the lives of Vishnu's avatars, including Rama and Krishna, and were used to wrap the Bhagavata Purana. Plate 58 illustrates a similar depiction of two fighting crowned monkeys, this time also featuring Rama (as identified by Galloway) next to them holding a bow -- a clear allusion to Rama shooting Vali in the Ramayana. The fight of Vali and Sugriva is also depicted in Plate 59, and in this fragment the Assamese inscriptions clearly label the figures as Bali and Shugri. Plate 59 also features a bird-like creature which Galloway identifies as Bakasura.

A further comparable silk fragment is in the Victoria and Albert Museum (acc. no. IS.365-1992).