The beloved Hindu god Krishna was born a prince, but a prophecy foretold that his uncle Kamsa, the demon king of Mathura, would be challenged by a nephew. Kamsa then ordered the deaths of his sister’s sons, so Krishna was whisked away to grow up incognito in a cow-herding village. From about the 14th century, the cult of Vishnu rose to prominence and with it came changing ideas about his many avatars, including Krishna. Once revered as a warrior chief, as depicted in this painting, Krishna later became a source of inspiration for Bhakti - the cult of devotion and love, symbolising spiritual union with the divine.