Vishnu came to earth in the avatar of Krishna to restore moral order in times of chaos.
In the human form, the stories he lived – of mischief as a child, of romance, of devotion are all those that one might find in ordinary humans.
What made him extraordinary, was the strategic insights he had on how to live life: Ideal strategies on duty and responsibility; the workings of the universe; the individual and the soul; the soul as a part of the larger consciousness; how to handle life and death and all the emotions in between. And his teachings became the guidebook for life through the Bhagvat Gita.
While it is for the philosophy he imparted – that was both complete, internally consistent and robust in its ability to deal with all the aspects of life satisfactorily – that he became revered, on a day to day basis he is worshiped remembering all the stories of his human form. And these stories form the body of the the Krishnayan.
These stories find their way into Indian art in many ways, particularly in the regions that dominantly follow the Krishna worship denomination of Hinduism.
So Odisha, Assam, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur produce various forms of art with Krishna as the subject.
Presenting a few from the Wovensouls collection – some still with me, some that have left Wovensouls – on the occasion of Janmashtami – Krishna’s birthday:





Assam Vastra – Asset 850 (no longer available)




Beaded artwork with Srinathji – Asset 1539 (no longer available)
Besides material arts there are many other art forms that have been created to celebrate Krishna … for example the mega Handi-phod human pyramids of Mumbai on this day.
And through all these fabulous show-stopping ways, Krishna is ‘seen’ in the lives of Indians.
Happy Janmashtami
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Want to see more Krishna Art? Follow this link: https://wovensouls.com/search?page=1&q=krishna
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jaina mishra / Sept 2026