Varaha- the half-man, half-boar incarnation of Vishnu, one of his Dashavataras, is an awe-inspiring and powerful divinity in Hindu tradition. The most popular story of Varaha narrates his emergence to protect Bhudevi from the depths of the ocean, who was abducted by the demon Hiranyaksha.
The divine boar entered the ocean, annihilated the Asura, and emerged with the earth goddess on his brilliant tusks, an image remembered through ancient art that depicts Varaha with Bhudevi. The boar as a protector, guardian, and annihilator has existed in Indian tradition since the Vedic period, however, beyond the one story of Varaha told before, not much is known about this potent avatar of Vishnu.
In this article, we will take a look at the emergence of Varaha in Indian culture, the many stories of Varaha, the iconography of Varaha, the reason why Vishnu became Varaha, the depictions of Varaha in statues and paintings, and the popular temples of Varaha in India, where the boar-man aspect of Vishnu is worshipped.
The term “Varaha” associated with boar, is traced back to Indian-Iranian tradition, which is why it is compared to the Avestan “Varaza”, Kurdish “beraz” and Persian terms such as “Waraz” and “goraz”, all of which are understood as “wild boar”. The ancient Indian grammar by Yaksha understands “Varaha” through its root- “hr”, which means “taking away”, “removing” or “surpassing”.
This underlines the power of Varaha to “take away the troubles of the world”. Boar, the animal is also known for its ability to uproot large trees and mounds from their roots, which is why Varaha is worshipped as a god who removes obstacles and evil from its very root.
The third incarnation of Vishnu, Varaha is compared to Prajapati Brahma in Vedic texts. The Taittriya Samhita says that Prajapati became the divine board to protect the earth. Taittriya Aranyaka describes him as a “dark-skinned boar with a hundred arms that raised the earth”.
In the Yuddha Kanda of the Ramayana, Sri Rama is evoked as “Varaha”.
The Shiva Purana and many other Puranas narrate the story of Varaha slaying Hiranyaksha. But who is Hiranyakasha and his brother Hiranyakashyapu, who was annihilated by Vishnu’s Narasimha avatar? To find an answer to this, we go to the pages of the sacred Bhagavata Purana.
The Bhagavata Purana tells the story of the previous birth of the demon brothers Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashyapu. In their last life, they were the divine guardian or dvarapalas of Vishnu’s Vaikuntha. One day, Sanat Kumara- four child sages visited Vishnu. However, the dvarapals would not let the children enter Vaikuntha, unaware of their supreme wisdom.
Angered by this, the Kumaras cursed Jaya and Vijaya to be born as demons on earth. When Vishnu heard about this, he ran to meet the Kumaras and blessed them. He also eased the pain of Jaya and Vijaya by telling them that they would be given Moksha by being slain at his hands. By killing Jaya and Vijaya born as Hiranyakshyapu and Hiranyaksha in his incarnations as Narasimha and Varaha, Sri Vishnu kept his promise.
When the menacing Hiranyaksha took Bhudevi to the depths of the ocean, the order of the world and the lives of its residents were in danger. The gods and sages rushed to the Pramapita Brahma, the divine creator for their protection. As they prayed to him, Varaha the size of a thumb emerged from his nose.
Soon, the diminutive boar grew larger than a mountain, causing the skies and underworld to tremble with his weight. The roar of Varaha was louder than lightning and his body was as dark as the night sky. Blazing like the Sun, Varaha entered the ocean.
The painting above is a depiction of the scene of Varaha’s emergence, a recreation of the original by Manaku, the master artist of the Guler court.
With his Chakra, Vishnu-Varaha slayed the demon and raised Bhudevi on his tusk. This painting presents Chamba’s 1750-75 artwork recreated, where Varaha supporting Earth and ending the demon can be seen in a dynamic visual language.
According to Puranic legends, as he was bringing the earth goddess to the surface, his sweat fell on her, impregnating Bhudevi with his essence. This seed became Narakasura, the son of Varaha and Bhudevi. His tusk also pierced the goddess slightly, and from this contact was born Bhauma or Mangala (the son of Bhumi), who went on to become a powerful planet god.
Varaha as an embodiment of strength, royalty, and victory is an ideal for kings, who were the supporters of art and asthetics in ancient India. This connection marked between the virtues of Varaha and the idea of a perfect king, made this incarnation of Vishnu one of the most popular and grandly presented images in early Indian art.
Varaha supporting Bhudevi on his snout, Shesha under his feet, and gods and sages around him, Udayagiri Varaha Panel (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
The classic iconography of Varaha can be found in the Udyagiri caves, a Gupta period architecture, where Varaha stands in the warrior’s alidha pose that expresses prowess, valor, and victory. He has broad shoulders that suggest strength, is adorned beautifully to highlight his regal aura, and has one hand on his waist and the other on his bent leg, to represent a balance of ease and effort that a royal warrior must possess.
Eran Boar, Madhya Pradesh (Source:Wikimedia Commons)
The half-human and half-animal form in divine beings is known as zooanthropomorphic (zoo-animal, anthropomorphic-human). Most images of Varaha are zooanthropomorphic, however, in rare cases, he is shown as a wild boar, standing on four legs. One such iconic statues is the 11 feet large Eran Boar, dating back to the 6th century CE, made by the local Malwa ruler Dhyanavishnu, with a Sanskrit inscription hailing the Huna ruer Toramana as the Lord of the Earth. The majestic boar carries Bhudevi on his tusk and images of sages and gods etched on his body. Attached to a temple of Vishnu, the Eran boar is a nod to the grandeur of Varaha avatar.
The cult of Varaha is especially popular in the Southern India, where temples of the Lord and images of Varaha in various aspects have been created in the sacred spaces dedicated to Vishnu. One of the most beautiful and divine iconographies of Varaha comes in statues from Tamil Nadu.
The first statue here is from 17th century Tamil Nadu, depicting Varaha pleasngly carrying Bhudevi on his leg, in a regal, interactive and graceful pose. The second is a reproduction of the same icon in bronze, showing the delicate connection between Varaha and Bhudevi. This iconography of Varaha cardling the earth goddess is also presented in the sanctum icon of Bhu Varahaswamy Temple.
For worshipping Varaha-Vishnu alongside his divine Shakti, Bhudevi, icons of Varaha as Bhu-Varaha Swamy are also popular amongst the devotees. Goddess Bhudevi sits on the lap of Varaha, who positions himself in the royal Lalitasana pose, on a throne or coils of Sheshanaga.
Mural from Emrald Buddha Temple showing the Boar attacking Hiranta (Source:Wikimedia Commons)
In Thailand, where the epic of Rama is popular as Ramakein, temple murals are a heavenly heritage, depicting dramatic scenes from the epic in lyrical visual idiom. Vishnu’s boar incarnation is shown in some of these murals, attacking the demon known as “Hiranta”. The murals capture the vigor of Varaha avatar by showing them as a powerful boar, annhilating the demon who can be seen lying on the ground, defeated.
Ever-present with her beloved Vishnu in all his avatars, goddess Sri Lakshmi is revered alongside Varaha as Varahi, the boar-faced goddess. Devi Varahi is also independently worshipped as a Matrika (mother-goddess) and a part of Adi Shakti (prmoridal goddess)’s army. In the context of Vishnu, Varahi is evoked as “Narayani”, the counterpart of Narayana.
The iconogrpahy of Varahi mirrors that of Varaha, showing her with a boar-face, Kiritamukuta crown (a Vaishnava crown), with ornaments and weapons in her hands. Being an extension of Lakshmi, Varahi is beautiful and feminine, pleasing despite her animal face and warrior form. In art, such as the painting here, Varahi often appears seated on Garuda, who is the vahana or mount of Vishnu.
The devotees of Lord Varaha worship him as a guardian, who removes troubles from their root, and brings tranqulity, auspiocusness and success in life. Though there are many temples of Varaha in India, most of them are situated in the Central and Southern part of the country, where this avatar of Vishnu is more popularly worshipped.
Here is a list of 10 temples of Varaha in India whee Vishnu resides in his boar incarnation-
Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Temple (Simhachalam, Andhra Pradesh)
This temple is one of the 18 Kshteras of Sri Narasimha, and is known as the abode of Varaha and Narasimha as its deities- the avatar of Vishnu linked through their role in slaying the demon brothers.
Sri Varaha Swamy Temple (Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh)
In the land of Tirupati Balaji, this temple of Varaha is visited by the devotees before going to the Venkateshwara shrine, which is believed to bring them the blessings of both forms of Sri Vishnu.
Sri Bhoovarahanath Swamy Temple (Kallahalli, Karnataka)
Located in Hassan, this temple houses the Bhu-Varaha icon, showing the boar-faced Vishnu carrying the earth goddess. A temple built under the mighty Hoysala, who are known for their splendor in art, this temple is flocked by worshippers looking for progeny, fertility and bliss in family life.
Adi Varaha Perumal Temple (Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu)
In the sacred and historic region of Thanjavur, the Adi Varaha temple revers the god as “Perumal” or the supremely powerful god, alongside goddess Bhudevi as his wife.
Varaha Temple (Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh)
This temple was built by the Chandelas of Madhya Pradesh in 10th century, whose architecture is popular world over for its divine, stylised and sensuous asthetics. A UNESCO world heritage site, the temple houses a gigantic boar sculpture made from sandstone with intricate carvings all over and a beautiful icon of Saraswati on its snout.
Sri Varaha Swami Temple (Srimushnam, Tamil Nadu)
It is revered as a Divya Desam, one of 108 Vishnu temples worshipped by the Alvars since medeival period. The sanctum deity is Bhu Varaha Swami, who is worshipped with goddess Lakshmi (or Ambujavalli Thayar).
Varaha Temple (Pushkar, Rajasthan)
Famous for the Pushkar fair, the city is sanctified by its historic Varaha Temple made in 12th century by a Chauhan ruler. The image is zoo-anthropomorphic one, that underlines the presence of the boar deity in western part of India.
Bhu Varaha Swami Temple (Halebidu, Karnataka)
This temple is situated near the world famous Hoysaleshwara Temple, overshadowed by its grandeur, but unique in its own right.
Varaha Temple (Mathura, Uttar Pradesh)
Also known as Sri Adi Varaha Temple, this is one of the rarest temples of Varaha in northern India. The icon has large eyes that look animated, adorned with beautiful garments and carries Bhudevi seated on his tusk.
Varaha Cave (Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu)
This is a rock-cut architecture, constructed under the royal Pallava dynasty of Tamil Nadu. It is a part of the larger rock cut monuments of Mahabalipuram, and is a popular site for heritage lovers as well as devotees. The main site is a massive Varaha, standing in a powerful poise, with Bhudevi in his arms, lifted from the depths of the ocean. The size and detail of the sculpture lend it a dramatic quality, making this a true-to-life representation of the Puranic legends of Varaha.
According to the Skanda Purana, Vishnu-Varaha and Bhudevi remined on earth as Balaji and his Shakti. Once, the goddess asked him about the worship of Lord Varaha, its method and benefits. Sri Varaha told her about the mantra which is to be chanted to please the Lord-
ॐ नमः श्री वराहाय धरन्ययुद्धारणाय च स्वाहा
(I worship Sri Varaha, who salvaged and protected Dharani or Earth Goddess)
Then Lord Varaha told that the devotee should worship him, by visualzing Varaha with Bhudevi, both adorned, seated on Shesha which is placed on the back of Kurma. Varaha narrates the stories of Indra, Dharma (embodiment of world order) and Ananta who gained benefits from the chanting of Varaha mantra.
FAQs
Varaha is one of the Dashavatara, 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu, who killed the demon Hiranyakasha.
Visnu became Varaha to protect Bhudevi from Hiranyaksha, who had taken him to the depths of the ocean.
These are two demon brothers, who were Jaya and Vijaya, the door guardians of Vishnu in their previous birth and fell on earth due to the curse of Sanat Kumaras.
The Eran Varaha, where the avatara is presented as a boar, with inscription in Sanskrit, a mammoth 11-foot-high freestanding red stone statue, is the largest Varaha statue in India.
Bhudevi, the Hindu earth goddess is worshipped as the wife of Lord Varaha.
Narakasura and Mangala Grah are the sons of Varaha, with Bhudevi.
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