Image title: Figure 360. Varaha Avatara

This is beautiful sculpture of Varaha Avatara of Lord Visnu. Varaha is the avatar of the Hindu god Visnu in the form of a boar, succeeding Kurma and preceding Narasimha. Varaha is listed as third in the Dasavatara, the ten principal avatars of Visnu. When the demon Hiranyaksa stole the earth (personified as the goddess Bhudevi) and hid her in the primordial waters, Visnu appeared as Varaha to rescue her. Varaha slew the demon and retrieved the Earth from the ocean, lifting it on his tusks, and restored Bhudevi to her place in the universe.

Gallery information:

Kumbakonam is considered as one of the holiest places in Tamil Nadu and is known for its temples and Mathas (monasteries which were centres of Brahmanical learning). These photographs depict the connection between the sculptures in the temples and Natya Shastra and related texts dealing with iconography.