Krishna Fighting the Serpent Kaliya

This folio portrays a story from the Bhagavatapurana, an ancient text narrating Krishna’s childhood. Krishna is depicted twice. High up in the tree, he prepares to fight Kaliya, a black serpent poisoning the river Yamuna. He then jumps into the water, thus starting the battle. The Yamuna is the longest tributary of the Ganges and flows through the page to symbolize continuity.