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Worship of Lord Jagannatha in His Temple at Puri
Date
early 18th century
Medium
Opaque pigments on cotton
Dimensions
Image: 72 7/8 × 62 1/2 in. (185.1 × 158.7 cm) Framed: 78 × 68 × 2 in. (198.1 × 172.7 × 5.1 cm)
Culture
Nepal
Classification
Paintings
Department
Asian Art
Gallery
252
Location
252
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, Gift of Bette-Ann and William Spielman, by exchange, Richard Greenbaum and The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Foundation Funds, and funds from various donors, 2019

Description

Overview Worship of Lord Jagannatha in His Temple at Puri Nepal early 18th century Not on view This painting depicts a major religious festival celebrating Krishna as Lord of the Universe (Jagannatha) at his temple in Puri, in Odisha (Orissa), eastern India. In the central image one of the kings of the Kathmandu Valley worships Krishna, who is accompanied by his sister Sudhadra and half-brother Balabhadra (Balarama). The divine triad are represented in a uniquely Odishan style that signals this imagery’s localized tribal origins. A spectacularly large composition, the painting is a rare pictorial record of Nepalese royal patronage alluding to pilgrimage to the Jagannatha temple in Odisha. Only two Nepalese works depicting this subject are known. The other, dated 1670, incorporates an inscribed portrait of the Bhaktapur king Jagatprakasa-malla (r. 1643–72). View more