Krishna and Nikumba

The Mughal emperor Akbar had the main Sanskrit texts of Hinduism translated into Persian, the language of the court and of the elite of the empire. This page is from a dispersed illustrated translation of the Harivamsa, the life of Krishna appended to the Mahabharata, and was done in about 1590. The painting was later added to an album and given decorated borders, probably in Lucknow in the 18th century.

Here, Krishna kills the demon king Nikumbha in the cave where heroes had been held captive.