The traditional Indian folk painting –‘Talapatrachitra’ illustrates Krishna – the Indian God lifting the Govardhan Hill to protect the people of Vrindavan from the fury of Indra-the rain god.

The story goes that every year the residents of Vrindavan worshipped Lord Indra to keep him in good humor, as he was responsible for the supply of sufficient rain. Once, young Krishna convinced his foster father Nanda that instead of worshipping Indra they should worship the Govardhan Hill and Vrindavan forest. This infuriated Indra and he decided to teach a good lesson to the people of Vrindavan by unleashing torrential rains. Everyone came to Krishna to seek refuge. Krishna lifted Govardhan hill on his little finger for seven days and seven nights to protect the people from Indra’s wrath. Lord Indra realized his mistake and apologized for his misdemeanor.

The handmade painting stands out for the use of natural colors derived from vegetable dyes. Along with the figure of Krishna in blue, his foster parents Nanda and Yashoda are also shown.