If the Dahi Handi festival has you curious about the life story of Krishna, log on to Detroit-based author and Indophile Stephen Knapp's Krishna darshan art gallery, where you can also download photos and paintings of the deity sourced from around the world

Stephen Knapp aka Sri Nandananandana Dasa first chanced upon the Bhagvad Gita in 1971.

"I was seeking deeper levels of spiritual knowledge and had read the Bible and Koran, as well as tomes on Judaism, Egyptology, Buddhism and even occultism. When I finally read the Gita, I knew I had found what I was looking for," he writes in an email interview.

He would later go on to join ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), give lectures and write books on spirituality, Vedic culture and Eastern philosophy.


The Krishna deity that now sits in a temple in Udaipur

The Detroit-based Knapp has been visiting India every year since 1987 and claims that he is familiar with every nook and cranny of the country, except for the North East.

"I click thousands of photos of temples, festivals, holy places, and the locals, each time I visit," says Knapp.
In 1998, he started his website, so that people could check out his photographs and videos, and download his e-books for free.

"I have been collecting prints for several years, and thought of adding some of them to the website," he explains.

Over time, he added pictures, miniatures, and even photos to the Krishna Darshan Art Gallery, which has around 280 images of Lord Krishna from places as far-flung as Vrindavana in Uttar Pradesh to Durban in South Africa and Los Angeles in the US. Each image also includes a brief explanation about what makes them unique.