from Āriyambākkam in the Chingleput district illustrates the sitting form of Vishnu with the goddesses Sri and Bhū and two kneeling devotees.
II
His ten
incarnations.The more popular forms of Vishnu, worshipped in the temples, generally refer to his numerous avatārs or incarnations. There are ten such avatārs recognized as of primary importance; but of these only five are commonly represented for worship. They are (l) Varāha "the Boar incarnation"; (2) Narasimha "the Man-lion incarnation"; (3) Vāmana "the Dwarf incarnation," developing eventually into Trivikrama; (4) Rāma, the hero of the Rāmāyana; and (5) Krishna, the pastoral god and the chief actor in the great war of the Mahābhārata. The other five incarnations of Vishnu, viz., the Fish, the Tortoise, Parasurāma, Buddha and Kalki though represented largely on walls, pillars and ceilings of temples being either carved or painted, are not generally worshipped as the chief deity in a temple.[1].
Ill
Boar incarnation. Varāha, also known as Ādivarāha, Dharanīvarāha or Bhūvarāha, is beautifully illustrated by the image in the Varāha-Perumāl cave-temple at Mahābalipuram. Here the boar-faced Vishnu is seen standing with his right foot resting on the hood of the serpent-god Sēsha. On the right thigh is seated the goddess Earth,[2] supported in position by the two lower arms of the god. He wears a high crown and has in his two upper hands the discus (held sideways) and the conch. As these images however have recently been covered with a thin coating of plaster and painted fantastically in variegated colours, it is not possible to say what sculptural peculiarities the original may have exhibited. Fortunately, a panel representing this same Varāha-avatar of Vishnu (fig. 15) with attendant deities, is found in another rock-cut mandapa at that village and is decidedly a true copy of the sculptures
- ↑ Parasurāma, " the axe-barer, Rāma" is supposed to be the founder of the west-coast country, having miraculously reclaimed it from the encroaching sea. He is, therefore, often worshipped in Malabar in special shrines dedicated to him. Siva temples with the name Parasurāmēsvara are common and these are believed to owe their existence to Parasurāma. In the Kachchhapēsvara temple at Conjeeveram, on a stone set up under a tree, there is a representation of the Tortoise incarnation of Vishnu, worshipping Siva. This is reproduced by Mr. Rea in his Madras Archaeological Survey Report for 1910-1;, Plate V, fig. i.
- ↑ The Brāhmiya-Silpa states that Lakshmi (i.e. Sri) is also to be depicted on the side of Varāha.
