Janmashtami, a festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, is one of the most widely celebrated festivals in India. And that isn’t very surprising – he is perhaps the God with most swag! We are particularly excited about Janmashtami because it reminds us that God was once a child – and well, children love games. So here we are – with 3 art games that will engage the inner child in you.
On this day, devotees celebrate the festival in numerous ways. Popular scenes of Krishna’s birth and childhood are enacted; stories of his birth on a stormy night in Mathura are retold through songs and ballads; his safe transport across the River Yamuna to Gokul are often represented through clay idols. In neighbourhoods (especially in Maharashtra), pots of curd / milk are hung from tall poles, and boys form human pyramids – attempting to reach the pot and break it, as an imitation of Krishna’s favourite sport with the cowherd boys.
This year we are celebrating Janmashtami with art – and some fun games! Take a look and try them!
Matching Pairs
There are many artworks that depict episodes from the life of Krishna. We chose a wide variety of art forms for you to recall these stories! There are 10 pairs of artworks in the tiles below. Tap the yellow tiles to reveal an artwork and find its matching pair! When you’ve finished playing, don’t forget to share a screenshot with us on social media 🙂
In this game, you saw:
Krishna playing his flute under a blossoming tree by Nicholas Roerich, a painting of Krishna and the horse-demon Keshi from Mankot [Govt. Museum & Art Gallery, Chandigarh], a Mandi-miniature painting showing Vasudeva crossing the river with the infant Krishna, a very gorgeous painting of Krishna by Ustad Allah Baksh, a chromolithograph of Krishna playing with the Gopis [Wellcome Collection], a watercolour painting of Radha & Krishna by Sunayani Devi, a Kalighat style painting of Krishna as a boatman ferrying Radha & her friends across [Cleveland Museum of Art], a Chamba Rumal showing the camaraderie between Krishna & the Gopis [LACMA], a Raslila dance from the MET Museum, & a beautiful painting of Krishna the toddler by Jamini Roy.
The many stories about Krishna!
But where do these stories come from? From the Mahabharata to the Bhagvata Purana – the stories of Krishna are described in various literary texts. Can you match the subject of the painting with the description of the literary text [the correct matches appear in GREEN]? Drag and Drop the artworks and their correct description to the blank columns!
We also have a Krishna-Yashoda Jigsaw puzzle for you, courtesy DAG Museums!
Read more about the painting here!
Wishing everyone a Happy Janmashtami!
Take a cue from Krishna, who always shared the (stolen) butter with his friends. Together, we enjoy more !