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Abduction of Rukmini: Krishna Tied the Hands of Rukma, from a Bhagavata Purana
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Krishna eloped with Rukmini against her brother Rukma’s will. Rukma, in the striped tunic ( jama ), soon chased him down and challenged him to a battle. Knowing that Krishna would murder her brother, Rukmini pleaded with Krishna to spare his life, so Krishna tied his hands with a piece of cloth, and Krishna’s brother Balarama later freed him.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineAbduction of Rukmini: Krishna Tied the Hands of Rukma, from a Bhagavata Purana, c. 1640. Central India, Madhya Pradesh, Malwa. Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper; page: 16.9 x 20 cm (6 5/8 x 7 7/8 in.); miniature: 14 x 17.8 cm (5 1/2 x 7 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund, 2018.127
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