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Krishna Govardhana

early 7th century
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
As described in the Bhagavata Purana, the youthful Krishna miraculously raises Mount Govardhan, near Mathura in northern India, to protect the villagers and cowherds from a great rainstorm sent by Indra. The sculptor of this image, active in the Phnom Da workshops, clearly understood the essence of his subject. It is evident that this sculpture evolved from a long-standing local tradition, which, by the seventh century, had surpassed any Indian prototypes that were remembered. A twelfth-century Phnom Da inscription credits a group of seven cult images to the patronage of an early Funan ruler and lists a Krishna Govardhana in the group. This sculpture is likely one of those works.

cat. no. 72

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Krishna Govardhana
  • Period: Pre-Angkor period
  • Date: early 7th century
  • Culture: Southern Cambodia
  • Medium: Sandstone
  • Dimensions: H. 47 1/4 in. (120 cm); W. 14 15/16 in. (38 cm); D. 7 7/8 in. (20 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Lent by National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh (Ka.1641)
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art