Varaha
Varaha (Sanskrit: वराह, lit. 'Boar', IAST: Varāha) is an avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu, in the form of a wild boar. Varaha is generally listed as third in the Dashavatara, the ten principal avatars of Vishnu.
| Varaha | |
|---|---|
| Member of Dashavatara | |
Varaha, c. 1740 Chamba painting | |
| Devanagari | वराह |
| Affiliation | Vaishnavism, Avatar of Vishnu |
| Abode | Vaikuntha |
| Weapon | Sudarshana Chakra, Kaumodaki, Panchajanya, Padma |
| Gender | Male |
| Festivals | Varaha Jayanti (August-September) |
| Personal information | |
| Consort | Bhudevi |
| Children | Narakasura and Mangala |
| Dashavatara Sequence | |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Kurma |
| Successor | Narasimha |
| Part of a series on |
| Vaishnavism |
|---|
Varaha is most commonly associated with the legend of lifting the earth (personified as the goddess Bhudevi) out of the cosmic ocean. When the asura Hiranyaksha stole the earth and hid her in the primordial waters, Vishnu appeared as Varaha to rescue her. Varaha slew the asura, and retrieved the earth from the ocean, lifting it on his tusks, restoring Bhudevi to her place in the universe.
Varaha may be depicted as a boar or in an anthropomorphic form, with a boar's head and a human body. His consort, Bhudevi, the personified earth, is often depicted as a young woman, lifted by Varaha.