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The Arts Intel Report

Revealing Krishna: Journey to Cambodia's Sacred Mountain

Nov 14, 2021 – Jan 30, 2022
11150 East Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA

Krishna Lifting Mount Govardhan is a stone sculpture of the Hindu god effortlessly and happily holding a mountain aloft, thus shielding animals and villagers from vicious torrential storms. The sculpture is larger than life and was created around the year 600 A.D. It was discovered in the floodplains of the Mekong Delta, opposite the sacred mountain of Phnom Da, near the ancient town of Angkor Borei. Recently, the sculpture underwent a total restoration. This exhibition spotlights the masterpiece—a glory of the Cleveland Museum of Art—and creates context by showing it among other early sculptures. A virtual mixed-reality tour lets visitors experience the Krishna as he once was, standing in a mountain temple surrounded by lush greenery. —E.C.

“Krishna Lifting Mount Govardhan,” c. 600. Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1973.