Chitralekha () is a friend of

Uṣā Usha (Sanskrit: उषा, IAST: Uṣā) is a character in Hindu mythology. She is the daughter of the asura king Banasura and the wife of Aniruddha, the grandson of Krishna. Her story of falling in love with Aniruddha and wedding him is de ...

, and the daughter of a minister of

Banasura Bana, also referred to as Banasura (), is an asura king in Hindu mythology, ruling from the city of Śoṇitapura. He is described to be the son of Mahabali. His tale of battling Krishna is described in the Bhagavata Purana. Legend A mighty ...

, who ruled from his capital of Śoṇitapura. She employs her magical powers to unite Uṣā with her lover,

Aniruddha Aniruddha ( sa, अनिरुद्ध ') is a character in Hindu mythology, the son of Pradyumna and Rukmavati, and the grandson of Krishna and Rukmini. He is said to have been very much like his grandfather, to the extent that he is co ...

Legend

The daughter of Banasura,

, once dreamt of

, the grandson of

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

. Uṣā fell in love with the youth, despite not knowing his identity. The following morning, after hearing her friend's tale and observing her gloom, Chitralekha made portraits of many known charming princes, but Uṣā was unable to identify them as the youth of her dream. She then drew a portrait of Aniruddha, much to Uṣā's delight. Using her illusory powers, Chitralekha sought the protection of Narada, and then travelled by air to

Dvārakā Dvārakā, also known as ''Dvāravatī'' (Sanskrit द्वारका "the gated ity, possibly meaning having many gates, or alternatively having one or several very grand gates), is a sacred historic city in the sacred literature of H ...

. After describing her friend's dream to the youth, she carried Aniruddha to Ūṣā's room, unnoticed by anyone in Śoṇitapura.

References

* Krishna.com.
Glossary
*''Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend'' () by Anna Dhallapiccola *Acharya Chandra Shekhar Shastri: Puranon ki Anmol Kahanian, 2006 Asura Characters in the Bhagavata Purana {{Hindu-myth-stub