Archive · 19 Aug 2026
Kangra Painting Depicts Krishna’s Family Watching a Solar Eclipse
This painting shows Krishna and his family watching a solar eclipse.
It was made around 1775 to 1780.
The scene takes place at Kurukshetra.
The artist belonged to the Kangra school of painting.
The work is connected to a story in the Bhagavata Purana.
In that story, people believed the eclipse could bring blessings.
The painting is linked to Nainsukh’s artistic family or tradition.
However, experts do not say for certain that Nainsukh painted it himself.
A Kangra-school painting from about 1775–1780 shows Krishna and his family observing a solar eclipse.
The scene is set at Kurukshetra, according to the artwork’s description.
The painting is based on an episode from the Bhagavata Purana.
The eclipse was believed to bring blessings to those who witnessed it.
The work is attributed to the first generation after Nainsukh, not definitively to Nainsukh himself.
- Who
- Krishna and his family are shown watching the eclipse; the work is attributed to the first generation after Nainsukh.
- What
- A Kangra-school painting depicts a solar eclipse and its viewers.
- When
- About 1775–1780.
- Where
- Kurukshetra, as depicted in the scene.
- Why
- The painting is based on the Bhagavata Purana, which describes the eclipse as bringing blessings to those who witnessed it.
- Artwork
- Krishna and His Family Admire a Solar Eclipse
- Art tradition
- Kangra school
- Date
- About 1775–1780
- Scene
- Krishna and his family watching a solar eclipse
- Setting
- Kurukshetra
- Source text
- Bhagavata Purana
- Attribution
- First generation after Nainsukh; not definitively by Nainsukh