Dhruva and Damodar, respectively author and photographer, set out on a devotional adventure, hoping to find obscure images of the half-man/half-lion incarnation of Vishnu known variously as Narasimha and Narasimhadeva. Nara means "man" and simha means "lion," and Narasimhadeva is indeed "God" in the form of a "man-lion."
To find their Lord, the two devotee adventurers scoured the subcontinent, making their way through dark jungles inhabited by wild beasts and other dangerous terrain. Their goal was to produce visual documentary evidence, of sorts, of Narasimhadeva's beauty and prevalence in Indian culture. Let there be no doubt: they have masterfully accomplished this - the evidence is the book you now hold in your hands.
Their goal was not necessarily to convey Narasimha's truth with words, but to let His image of speak for itself. Thus, this is largely a picture book, with visual representations that can carry you to the spiritual world. Allow these images in, and Narasimha will engulf your heart, virtually clawing at your soul.
The visual power of Narasimhadeva has become more and more popular in recent years, with numerous museum exhibitions, TV serials, books, and graphic novels focusing on the man-lion's form - but none quite like this one. To cite one example of Narasimha's growing visual popularity: In 1987, an image of Narasimha said to date from the second-third century CE, found interestingly in Lord Krishna's birthplace Mathura was the center of an exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Stella Kramrisch, the former Philadelphia Museum of Art's Indian curator, offered that it was "perhaps the earliest image of Narasimha as yet known." Dhruva and Damodara here present Narasimha images that are older still, many of which even transcend time.
Lord Narasimha is known as the divine protector and remover of all spiritual obstacles. As explained in the Foreword, He appeared in the form of a half-man/ half lion incarnation of Vishnu to protect and save His devotee Prahlad, who was only a young boy at the time. Prahlad's father, Hiranyakashipu, was perhaps the most heinous demon-king that ever lived, and Narasimhadeva's destruction of this demon speaks to the power of good over evil, or righteousness over iniquity.
My Name is Dhruva. Although now a young man, my childhood was anything but ordinary. Unlike most Western youth, I grew up in an ashram in middle America, where my parents embraced the teachings of India and her eternal religion of the soul, which included reverence for Lord Narasimha. In the ashram, I used to serve His deity form on a regular basis, creating a connection of loving attachment to Him. His protective nature captivated my mind and heart, especially since, like Prahlad, I was only a child and knew that He would show compassion to me as someone who was completely dependent on Him.
As I grew older, my attraction for Him grew more and more, eventually developing into an intense desire to search out His many temples in India. When the chance finally came, I seized it and ended up going to Ahobilam (where He is said to have manifested on earth), on the southeastern coast of the country. After that first experience, I knew I just had to find more Narasimha temples and document them for posterity to show the world.
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