Important Notice

Tamil Nadu, 19th Century CE
Wood
Height: 16.5 in (41.9 cm)(each)
Width: 7 in (17.8 cm)(each)

a) Narasimha slaying Hiranyakashipu
b) Vishnu saving his devotee Gajendra

(Set of two)

REGISTERED ANTIQUITY-NON-EXPORTABLE


This set comprises two panels-one depicting Narasimha slaying Hiranyakashipu, and the other depicting Vishnu blessing Gajendra, his elephant-devotee.

(a) shows Narasimha, the half-man, half-lion incarnation of Vishnu, slaying his enemy Hiranyakshipu. Hiranyayshipu had obtained a boon from Lord Brahma by virtue of which he could only be killed under very rare circumstances. Some of these conditions were that his slayer could not be a demigod, demon, man, or animal. He could not be killed in the day or at night, or inside or outside a building. In this sculpture, we see Vishnu with his attributes, in his half-man, half-animal form, standing at the door step during twilight. His enemy is sprawled on his lap, and Narasimha rips him apart using his claws. Narasimha has a ferocious expression and the piece would probably once have been part of a larger Dashavtar series.

(b) shows Gajendra, an ardent devotee of Vishnu, caught by a crocodile in a lake. Gajendra prays earnestly to Lord Vishnu to save him. Vishnu appears before him and kills the crocodile, thus rescuing Gajendra. This episode, called Gajendra Moksha, is carved out here. Gajendra is seen raising his trunk towards Vishnu, who blesses and liberates him.

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