Happy Janmashtami!

Shubhkaamnaayein to my fellow JA admirers on the joyous occasion of Kanha's birthday! May our Jodha Begum's dearest confidante keep us all in his warm embrace, always.

Let me share a nice little painting of Kanha's birth today. It was commissioned by Akbar, and is a part of his personal, richly illustrated copy of the Harivamsa.

Now, since this is the JA Forum, and here we have no Akbar without Jodha - let me also point out a very interesting detail from the painting.

Look to the left side of the painting, the building with the green-tiled roof. And now, look at this building below:

Guess what? It is indeed our beloved Mariam-uz-Zamani's palace.

So, it's a painting of Krishna's birth, and the artist has skillfully incorporated in it the very residence of Harka Bai, who was known to be a staunch Krishna devotee. Can there be a more beautiful tribute to someone's faith than this?

(And this painting was part of Akbar's personal collection. I would say it speaks volumes about his regard for and relationship with his Begum Sahiba! )

PS: Anyone interested in further reading on the connection between Krishna-Akbar-MUZ would also like this old post: https://mariam-uz-zamani.blogspot.com/2015/09/farman-akbar-goverdhan-jatipura-temple.html

Radhe Radhe!