Origin:

Varaha Avatar •In Satya Yuga, Jaya and Vijaya were born as demon brothers
Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha.
• Hiranyaksha, granted a boon by Lord Brahma, became reckless and
wreaked havoc on gods and mortals. Realizing the power of human
devotion, he displaced Earth, weakening the gods. Manu and Shatarupa
prayed to Lord Brahma, who suggested seeking Lord Vishnu's help.
•Lord Brahma meditated on Lord Vishnu and a small boar came out of
his nostrils and started growing larger and larger immediately, soon to be
the size of a mountain.
•This was the Varaha avatar of Lord Vishnu who promised Lord Brahma
and others that he would save Earth from the cosmic waters and kill
Hiranyaksh.
•The reason behind Lord Vishnu taking the form of a boar was that while
Hiranyaksh mentioned all the animals and living beings to be protected
from, he forgot to mention boar.
•As Varaha charged to the depths of the cosmic ocean to save mother
earth, Hiranyaksh challenged various Gods to fight with him. God of
water, Varuna, suggested that he himself is too old to fight, therefore
instead of him, Hiranyaksha should fight Lord Vishnu.
There are various versions of the origin story of varaha avatara
• One of the version is in Ramayana when Vasistha rishi tells shri ram
that " In beginning all was water out of that water arose Brahma the self
existent who become a boar (emusha) and lifted up the earth.
According to the Ramayana hence the uplifter of earth was Brahma
(Prajapati) and not Vishnu.
• Bhagawatapurana it is said that with a view to
create the universe, the Lord of Sacrifice become desirious of lifting up
the earth which had sunk into lower region assumed the form of boar.
Here act of lifting earth is attributed to Vishnu.
•Linga purana and Garuda purana mention brahma as the uplifter of
earth from ocean but they at same time identify brahma with Vishnu.
•There are many versions of the origin story of Vishnu’s Varaha avatar,
the oldest one coming from older Vedic texts that claim Varaha was a
form of Prajapati (Brahma). The later scriptures, though, attribute Varaha
as being the third of the ten significant incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
 Yoga Varaha

Lakshmi Varaha

Chaturbhuja Varaha
The Emergence of Varaha, the Boar-Incarnation of Vishnu,
Folio from a Bhagavata Purana series.
 Varaha probably represents Chandragupta II —
who, it is implied, began a new cycle of time
through his prowess just as the god did.

This analogy of the king as Varaha rapidly

spread through South Asia. Though the Guptas
had produced the image in response to their
political challenges, the mythology of Varaha
was sufficiently universal for it to be transposed
to new political contexts. According to legend,
Varaha had rescued the earth goddess from the
primordial flood and defeated the demon
Hiranyaksha. The god was then believed to have
married the goddess, and this rescue
inaugurated a new era.

Deccan dynasties produced some of the most

remarkable examples of the identification of
rulers with Varaha. The Early Western
Chalukyas commissioned images of the divine
boar from as early as the sixth century CE; the
500-1100 CE boar was their dynastic emblem, and verses to
Varaha inaugurated their land grant inscriptions
from the mid-seventh century onwards. The
Chalukyas even adopted a unique imperial title Chalukya badami Cave temple
• Sculptures depicting this scene produced identifying themselves with Varaha. This
title, Sri-Prithivi-Vallabha, translates roughly to
across the sub continent by royal courts.Most
“The Fortunate Lord of the Earth” or to
earliest examples can be seen in the caves “Fortune’s Favourite and Earth’s Beloved”: as a
at Udayagiri, Madhya Pradesh comission by form of Vishnu, Varaha is married both to the
Gupta dynasty. Udayagiri was an important goddess of fortune (Sri) and the goddess of
ritual centre for Guptas. earth (Prithvi). The implication is that
• Gupta the Chalukya kings, like Vishnu, had a
emperor Chandragupta II commissioned husband’s rights over both fortune and land, and
could distribute it to their vassals as they saw fit.
large sculptureof Varaha trampling a
As the Chalukyas ruled the first imperial polity in
serpent. present-day northern Karnataka, such a claim —
• A inscription nearby suggests that the scene with its links to royal deities — helped establish Dynastic emblem in Chalukya dynasty of
was meant to honor the emperor's victory their legitimacy and distinguish them from their varaha
over various chieftain of naga polities in rivals.
central India.
Chalukya sculptures of Varaha had much thinner limbs than their Gupta predecessors and were more ornately decorated with
jewellery. They also tend to have four arms, with the two rear arms bearing a conch shell and discus — the most recognisable
emblems of Vishnu. The Chalukya Varaha wears a towering golden crown and necklaces of precious gems and pearls and usually
bears a lotus in his hand upon which Prithvi stands. Examples of this scene can be seen in all the dynasty’s major centres, but
especially in the cave temples Badami and the structural temples at Aryapura (present-day Aihole).
The image of Varaha rescuing Prithvi continued to be used for centuries after; every major imperial dynasty used it in the medieval
period, including the ninth-century Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta (present-day Malkhed, Karnataka), the twelfth-century Chaulukyas
of Anahilavada (present-day Patan, Gujarat) and the thirteenth-century Hoysalas of Dvarasamudra (present-day Halebidu,
Karnataka). It then gradually lost its preeminence as a royal emblem in the early modern period, which saw the evolution of new
alliances between religious centres (particularly those dedicated to the god Krishna) and royalty.

Vijaynagar empire flag

Although not praised these days

much, Varaha was a significant
symbol of Power and might
during the Indian middle ages.
The mighty Hindu empire, the
Vijaynagar Empire, stood against
the Islamic invasion, stopping
the green tide in 1336. They
have given Varaha, a proud
Rashtrakuta Dynasty of Manyakheta, Ellora Hoysalas were Flag holders of
place on their flag, in the form of
wild boar. When this sun- moon- Dharma during the southern
dagger and boar flag flattered invasion of the Khilji Dynasty.
high on the battlefield, it used to
strike fear in the eyes of Islamic
forces, surrounding the
Vijaynagar empire.
Varaha, once a popular, but now forgotten god, found a place on their gorgeous temples. These Varaha sculptures are Purana
lessons in themselves. Here, you can see, that the whole story is trapped in beautiful Prabhaval, or, an ornate arch. Twelve-handed
Vishnu, along with his beloved Panchajanya Conch, Sudarshan Chakra, Lotus, and Kaumodaki mace, holding few other weapons
like Vajra, bow, and arrow. His face is beautifully carved as a wild bore, with two tusks coming out from his mouth. His snout is
visible, just like a boar. He gently upholds the earth, in the form of a woman (Bhu-Devi) on his left shoulder, and by supporting her
with one hand. Beneath his feet, you will see the demon Hiranyaksha, holding a sword, just before dying. His fangs are out as he
cries in pain while his eyes cannot withstand the weight of Varaha. Under another foot, some other demon, holding a sword and
shield is trying to escape the angry boar. Although the statue is badly damaged, you can feel its grace.

One more statue can be found in Chennakesava temple, Somnathpura, where Varaha
has four hands. In his upper two, he is holding beautifully carved Chakra and conch
shell. Kirtimukha has been depicted on these two powerful symbols of Vishnu. In the
other two hands, he is carefully holding a slightly elongated globe, that is, our earth.

Six avatar of lord Vishnu Nuggehalli temple, Karnataka

Varaha Statue at Khajuraho

In a creation myth, Vishnu

took the form of a boar to
rescue Bhuvedi, the Earth
goddess from the depths
of the primordial waters. In
this sculpture, Bhudevi
stands to the right of the dark-brownish-grey stone
boar’s head, while a
serpent-goddess (nagini) 2nd half of the 9th century - 1st half of the
appears in front. Rows of 10th century AD
sages, deities and other North part of Madhya Pradesh
figures appear on the body
of the cosmic boar. The
prominent conch shell,
discus and mace below
are all symbols of Vishnu.
 Varaha Cave Temple,
Mahabalipuram

Varaha. Durga Temple, Aihole Ellora Cave 14 The temple was commissioned by King Narsimhavarman
Vishnu's boar avatar lifts Bhu Devi II in the mid 7th century.
on the crook of his arm, while The Varaha Cave Temple is a small monolithic rock-cut
standing on the nagas (snakes). temple with a mandapa carved into the rock face of pink
8th Century granite formations.

Reference
https://youtu.be/rIO9yEAefks?si=K1kgasf8IcIi4EdO
https://mapacademy.io/vishnu-as-varaha-the-divine-boar-from-the-medieval-to-modern/
https://drifteradwait.com/varaha-the-celestial-boar/