Asian Art

Central Indian
Vishnu in his Boar Incarnation
chlorite, 12th century
Gift of Clara T. and Gilbert J. Yager, 82.5.1

The incarnations (or avatars) of Vishnu are occasions when the god takes earthly form, in order to restore the world after cosmic disaster. In this story, the demon Hiranyaksha had pushed the earth down into the sea. Vishnu took the form of a wild boar, Varaha, and fought with the demon for a thousand years. After killing him, Varaha rooted up the earth from the sea bottom and raised it above the water. Here the victorious god raises up the earth-goddess, a small female figure supported on the crook of his elbow. Two figures beneath his foot are Nagas, serpent-beings whose kingdom is beneath the water.