Varaha Avatar
When an evil demon grabs the Earth and drops it into the ocean, it is up to Vishnu to rescue it. How does he do it? This sculpture tells you the story.
As you enter this cave temple, on your left, you can spot a panel depicting the figure of a man with the head of a boar with large tusks. That is Varaha, an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Hindus believe that whenever there is too much evil on earth, Vishnu manifests himself in different forms or avatars to set things right. The third of Vishnu’s ten avatars is Varaha or a boar. Vishnu took the form of Varaha to save the earth from a demon called Hiranyaksha.
Story goes that Hiranyaksha, like every other demon in Hindu mythology, aspired for nothing less than immortality. And so, he prayed fervently to Brahma, the god of creation, for such a boon. But he knew that even Brahma could not guarantee immortality. So when Brahma appeared before him, Hiranyaksha carefully worded his wish. He demanded that he should never be defeated in battle by gods, humans or even other demons. Brahma agreed and granted him that wish.
Now that he was all-powerful, Hiranyanksha went about harassing everyone. Especially the gods. HIs most brazen act was to grab the earth and drop her into the ocean. Bhudevi, the earth goddess screamed for mercy but there was little anyone could do.
Lord Vishnu however, found a way out. He saw that while the boon gave Hiranyaksha immunity from Gods, humans and other demons, it did not mention any animal. Vishnu instantly turned himself into a giant boar or Varaha and went after the demon. In no time, he hunted Hiranyaksha and killed him. And then he dived into the ocean and gently picked up the earth with his tusks and placed it back in its orbit. Bhudevi, the earth goddess, fell in love with her saviour, Varaha, and the two got married. On the panel in front of you, you can see Bhudevi seated coyly on Varaha’s lap, gazing lovingly into his eyes. Under Vishnu’s feet, you can see a snake-like creature, typically used to depict the netherworld. While Varaha is an incarnation of Vishnu, Bhudevi is another form of Lakshmi, Vishnu’s wife.
In Hindu mythology, this form that Vishnu took to save the world is called the Varaha Avatar.
Because Varaha is literally the saviour of Earth, many Indian kings used the Varaha or the boar symbol in their royal insignia. The Chalukyas and the Vijayanagara kings were two of the most prominent ones. Their earliest coins carried the Varaha symbol.
