This coffee table book has 60 mesmerising handmade paintings

Artworks have a remarkable way of bridging time, space, and relationships. And this is especially true when it comes to inherited art, that inspire and delight many generations. It is in this spirit that Vikram Goyal (co-founder of skincare brand Kama Ayurveda and founder of interiors brand Viya Home) has conceptualised a special coffee-table book, Shringara of Shrinathji (Mapin Publishing).

This coffee-table book features 60 handmade miniature paintings of Lord Krishna as Shrinathji, the young boy who lifted the Govardhan hill to protect people from the wrath of the rain god, Indra. Each exquisite artwork, created between 1890 and 1910 AD, is from the collection of Goyal's forefather, Rai Mehta Pannalalji, who served four Maharanas as Prime Minister of Mewar (now Udaipur) from the late 19th century onwards. 

“According to noted artist and historian Amit Ambalal—who wrote the book—these paintings were likely a gift by the Tilkayat (head priest) to Rai Pannalalji, for his contribution to Nathdwara, which is where the Shrinathji Temple is located,” Goyal tells Bazaar India. 

Each painting depicts the black-hued statue of Shrinathji, after the actual idol at the temple, in the Raj Bhog, which is the main darshan (viewing) of the idol. He is adorned in exquisite clothes, jewellery, and headgears. As for the book’s design, Goyal referenced both traditional Indian khatas—traditionally used to store manuscripts—and Japanese storage boxes. “I replaced the Japanese bone buttons with hammered brass, which felt more at home to me,” Goyal explains.

Shringara of Shrinathji is available at leading bookstores and online.