This is one of the three forms of dancing Krishna that we come across. The other two are Kaliyamardaka (in the act of taming the serpent Kaliya) and Navanitanrityakrishna (dancing with a butterball). This two-armed Krishna, dancing with pure joy, lacks distinct attributes or religious marks and the identification is through examples and context.

Krishna’s right hand is in Abhaya mudra (protection) and the left hand extended in Karihasta ( Elephant trunk). His ornamentation is complete and includes Siraschakra. Take time to see the enlarged image for the details.

Krishna is dancing on a Padmapeetha which in turn sits on the rectangular Bhadrapeetha.

Despite being depicted as a child, naked, the body is toned and captures the tension arising from the dance movement.

This iconography, with minor changes to the ornamentation, dates back to the tenth century and, has remained popular all along.

This Vigraha is from Tamil Nadu and it is about 13 cm in height. This may be dated to the sixteenth century or so.

Note: Sometimes when I make a new acquisition, I get tempted to post it in this blog site immediately and share the joy. This is one such occasion.