Krishnanand Jha (1947-2018) was born Mithila (Bihar) in a family of tantric priests and was ordained to become a priest himself. At an early age learnt the rituals and practices.

Much of his work consists of paintings of individual Tantric goddesses, including his family goddess, Chinnmasta, a powerful shakti (feminine power). He was among the first males to start painting in the Mithila tradition and broke the barriers when it was a completely female-dominated area.

He is known for his line work and tantric art. His work gathered a lot of attention in the 1980s as it was absolutely unique.

Jha’s artworks are a part of coveted museum collections and show the world over, especially in the USA. Some institutions that have his works are the Oberlin Museum, LACMA and Asian Art Museum, San Francisco. In 2013, the USA based, Ethnic Arts Foundation (USA) honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award.