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Varaha, Boar Incarnation of Vishnu

वराह

700–800s
sandstone
Overall: 82 x 68.5 x 33.5 cm (32 5/16 x 26 15/16 x 13 3/16 in.)
Gift of Maxeen and John Flower in honor of Dr. Stanislaw Czuma 2011.148
Location: not on view
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In his two left hands, he hold the conch and discus.

Description

The Hindu god Vishnu took the form of a boar to rescue his wife Bhu (Earth in Sanskrit) from the bottom of the primordial ocean, where she had been hidden by a demon. Here shown with the head of a boar and the powerful lunging body of a warrior, Varaha holds out one of his four elbows as a seat for the earth goddess, whom he has rescued.
Varaha, Boar Incarnation of Vishnu

Varaha, Boar Incarnation of Vishnu

700–800s

Central India, Medieval Period, 8th-9th century

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