The book takes us on a journey of the loves of Krishna, his lilas, kridas, his madhurya and above all the raas lila. But Krishna is not only for the royalty and nobility, he belongs to the people, the potter and the puppeteer, the bride and the mother, for he is celebrated at every village fair and town. Equally the modern artist does not remain untouched by the magic of Krishna and depecits him on his palette. And as the journey ends we are privy to some of the most glorious moments of five magnificient centuries of Krishna paintings.

To wait under the kadamba tree is to invite Krishna into our lives, prepare for his arrival with anticipation and adornment, and then when we hear his flute, surrender ourselves completely to him so that we may be touched by his mellifluous love. a love so divine that we forget our mortal world and enter the magical and charmed world of his love, The kadamba tree is Krishna's tree. of all the trees in Vrindavana it is here that he plays his flute and under its canopy gopis gather, and when we wait there along with them, we do so with the bhava or feeling ofa gopi, a bhava that seeks the sheer ecstasy of the heart and the joyous trembling of romance, and not the splendors of the world and the thrills of material success, a spirit that is prepared to turn its back on prcv~ancha or the world of duties and tasks, for here under the kadamba tree we must put away the burdens and demands of the world and like the gopis leave our mundane chores behind even if they are unfinished, like the birds that gather in its shade we come asking for no worldly boons but merely to sing of the miracle of love, like the blossoms that carry no thorns but merely bring the perfumed wind and then fall at Krishna's feet to become his vanamala. under the kadamba tree our breath should carry no pious words or petitions but just the simple melody of love songs that we will offer to his lotus feet, under that tree of love we will be like the cows that are drawn to Krishna for after all he is Govind and will become like the bees that hover around him for he is also Madhusudana the stealer of honey, for under the kadamba tree we will adore Kanha the dark one, of the colour of the clouds of ashadha and of the frolicking Yamuna. and let our hearts be stolen by him, for he is Mohana, the only who allures, and only then will we really find him and know his love, and in finding him we will discover ourselves.

1.page 8

Under the Kadamba Tree

The Experience of Krishna

Harsha V.Dehejia

2.page 24

The Journey from Kavya to Kalam

Harsha V.Dehejia

3.page 62

Pallavi: The First Leaves of the Kadamba Tree

The Journey from Pothi to Chitravali

Harsha V.Dehejia

4.page 114

Under the Canopy of Kings

The Patronage of Krishna Paintings

Daljeet & P.C.Jain

5.page 130

Shangar and Shringar

Adornment and Anticipation of Krishna's Love

Harsha V.Dehejia

6.page 154

Pranaya Mandapas

The Pavilions of Krishna's Love

Anne Marie Doyle

7.page 166

Krida, The Love Games of Krishna

Harsha V.Dehejia

8.page 200

Madhurya

Krishna's Mellifluous Love

Harsha V.Dehejia

9.page 226,

From Gopi to Nayika

Ritikal and the Courtly Krishna

Harsha V.Dehejia

10.page 252

Rasa Lila

The Cosmic Dimensions

of Krishna's Love

Harsha V.Dehejia

11.page 272

The Ragas of Krishna

Anupa Pandey

12.page 288

In Chowks and Havelis

Krishna of the People

Harsha V.Dehejia

13.page 312

Viraha and Virahini

The Perfection of Krishna's Love

Harsha V.Dehejia

14.page 360

Some Conundrums in

Krishna Painting

Milo Beach, Rosemary Crill, Asok Das

Harsha V.Dehejia, Rahul Jain

Jagdish Mittal, Alka Pande

Rita Sodha

15.page 406

End Notes