In 1909, Basanta Ranjan Roy Bidvatballava retrieved the punthi (manuscript) of Sri Krishna Kirtana from a shelf in the cowshed of Debendranath Mukhopadhyay, a resident of Kankilya Village, Bankura.
A slip inside the punthi reveals that it was initially preserved in the royal library of Bishnupur under the name of Sri Krishna Sandarva.
The Sri Krishna Kirtana of Boru Chandidas was deeply influenced by the Vishnu Purana, the popular folk-literature of the period[3] and the Gitagovindam by Jaydeva.
The extant work is divided into 13 khandas (sections), namely, Janma (birth), Tamvula (piper betel which was considered as a token of love in that time), Dana (tax-collection), Nauka (boat), Bhara (burden), Vrindavana, Yamuna, Bana (arrow), Vamshi (flute) and Radha Viraha (estrangement of Radha) (the last khanda is not named by the poet).
Traditional Shrikrsnakirtan is a lyrical composition involving Radha and Krishna ; its storyline is not based on the Bhagavata Purana, but the popular folk-songs, known as the dhamalis.
Radha spends her days with Ayan's aunt, Barai, and travels to Mathura with other young women to sell milk products.
His valor is further displayed when he confronts Kaliya, a mythical five-headed snake in the River Yamuna, and seemingly vanishes, causing panic among the villagers.
Despite Barai's intervention, Krishna refuses to return to Vrindavan or accept Radha again, unable to bear the harsh words and treatment he received from her.