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Varaha is the third Avatar
Avatar

Avatar or Avatara , often translated into English as incarnation, literally means descent and usually implies a deliberate descent from higher spiritual realms to lower realms of existence for special purposes....
 of the Hindu
Hinduism

'Hinduism' is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as , a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal dharma", by its practitioners....
 god Vishnu
Vishnu

Vishnu , , is the Supreme God in Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of panchadeva, and his supreme status is declared in the Hindu sacred texts like Yajurveda, the Rigveda and the Bhagavad Gita....
, in the form of a Boar
Boar

The wild boar , or colloquially simply called the boar, is an omnivorous, wikt:gregarious mammal of the family Suidae. It is native across much of Central Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and much of Asia as far south as Indonesia, and has been introduced elsewhere....
. He appeared in order to defeat Hiranyaksha
Hiranyaksha

In Hinduism, Hiranyaksha [golden-eyed] was an Asura of pre-ancient India and the son of Diti and Kashyapa. He was slain by Lord Vishnu after he took the Earth to the bottom of what has been described as the "Cosmic Ocean"....
, a demon who had taken the Earth
Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in diameter, mass and density. It is also referred to as the World and Wiktionary:Terra.Note that by International Astronomical Union convention, the term "Terra" is used for naming extensive land masses, rather...
 (Prithvi
Prithvi

Prithvi is the Hinduism earth and mother goddess. According to one tradition, she is the personification of the Earth, and to another its Mother, being Prithivi Tattwa, the essence of the element earth....
) and carried it to the bottom of what is described as the cosmic ocean in the story. The battle between Varaha and Hiranyaksha is believed to have lasted for a thousand years, which the former finally won. Varaha carried the Earth out of the ocean between his tusks and restored it to its place in the universe.






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Varaha is the third Avatar
Avatar

Avatar or Avatara , often translated into English as incarnation, literally means descent and usually implies a deliberate descent from higher spiritual realms to lower realms of existence for special purposes....
 of the Hindu
Hinduism

'Hinduism' is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as , a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal dharma", by its practitioners....
 god Vishnu
Vishnu

Vishnu , , is the Supreme God in Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of panchadeva, and his supreme status is declared in the Hindu sacred texts like Yajurveda, the Rigveda and the Bhagavad Gita....
, in the form of a Boar
Boar

The wild boar , or colloquially simply called the boar, is an omnivorous, wikt:gregarious mammal of the family Suidae. It is native across much of Central Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and much of Asia as far south as Indonesia, and has been introduced elsewhere....
. He appeared in order to defeat Hiranyaksha
Hiranyaksha

In Hinduism, Hiranyaksha [golden-eyed] was an Asura of pre-ancient India and the son of Diti and Kashyapa. He was slain by Lord Vishnu after he took the Earth to the bottom of what has been described as the "Cosmic Ocean"....
, a demon who had taken the Earth
Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in diameter, mass and density. It is also referred to as the World and Wiktionary:Terra.Note that by International Astronomical Union convention, the term "Terra" is used for naming extensive land masses, rather...
 (Prithvi
Prithvi

Prithvi is the Hinduism earth and mother goddess. According to one tradition, she is the personification of the Earth, and to another its Mother, being Prithivi Tattwa, the essence of the element earth....
) and carried it to the bottom of what is described as the cosmic ocean in the story. The battle between Varaha and Hiranyaksha is believed to have lasted for a thousand years, which the former finally won. Varaha carried the Earth out of the ocean between his tusks and restored it to its place in the universe. Vishnu married Prithvi (Bhudevi) in this avatar.

Varaha is depicted in art as either purely animal or as being anthropomorphic, having a boar's head on a man's body. In the latter form he has four arms, two of which hold the wheel and conch-shell while the other two hold a mace, sword or lotus or make a gesture (or "mudra
Mudra

A mudra is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. While some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers....
") of blessing. The Earth is held between the boar's tusks.

The avatar symbolizes the resurrection of the Earth from a pralaya
Pralaya

Pralaya , in Hindu cosmology , is a period of time of the cycle of existence of the planets where activity does not occur. It lasts, according to computations of the Brahmas, 4,320,000,000 years....
 (deluge) and the establishment of a new kalpa
KalPa

The KalPa is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Kuopio, Finland at the Niiralan monttu....
 (cosmic cycle).

The Varaha Purana
Varaha Purana

Varaha Purana, one of the major eighteen Puranas, a Hindu religious text. It describes in detail about the Varaha incarnation of Vishnu, and narrates about the rescue of the Prithvi....
 is a Purana in which the form of narration is a recitation by Varaha.

Temples dedicated to Varaha


  • Sri Varaham - in Trivandrum, near South Fort.
  • Srimushnam
    Srimushnam

    Srimushnam is a panchayat town in Cuddalore district in the Indian States and territories of India of Tamil Nadu. SriMushnam is a very sacred place to Hindus as well as Buddhists and it is one of the 8 Svayam Vyakta Ksetras of Vaishnavas....
     - This temple in Tamil Nadu named is considered a Swayambhu
    Swayambhu

    Swayambhu means Self-manifested or that which is created by its own accord....
     Murthi, as are Tirupati
    Tirumala - Tirupati

    Tirupati , is a pilgrimage city located in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India.Tirupati is located at the foothills of Tirumala. The city owes its existence to the sacred temple situated on the Tirumala Hills....
     and Badrinath
    Badrinath

    Badrinath is a Hinduism holy town and a nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is the most important of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage....
    .
  • Varah shyam temple - This temple is located in BHINMAL city in Jalore District. Here is present a large idol of God VARAHA. It is an ancient temple and is situated in the middle of the city.
  • Varaha temple - This temple is in Varaha Village in Jind District, Haryana. Here is a Swayambhu Murthi of God VARAHA.
Bhagavatapurana
* Thiruvidandai
Thiruvidandai

"Thiruvidandai" is one of 108 Divya desam. It is near Chennai around 40 km. It is Varaha Kshetram. It is famous for marriages....
- In this temple near Chennai
Chennai

Chennai , formerly Indian renaming controversy , is the fourth largest metropolitan area of India and the capital city of the Indian states and territories of India of Tamil Nadu....
 Varaha is also called Nityakalyana Perumal. It is famous for marriages and is one of the Divya desam.
  • Simhachalam
    Simhachalam

    Simhachalam temple is a Hindu temple located in Andhra Pradesh, South India, and is dedicated to the incarnation of Vishnu known as Narasimha ....
     - The famous Varaha LakshmiNarasimha swamy temple, one of the most prominent in Andhra Pradesh.
  • Tirupati
    Tirumala - Tirupati

    Tirupati , is a pilgrimage city located in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India.Tirupati is located at the foothills of Tirumala. The city owes its existence to the sacred temple situated on the Tirumala Hills....
     - Sri VarahaMurthy Temple at Tirumala - Tirupati|Tirupati
    Tirumala - Tirupati

    Tirupati , is a pilgrimage city located in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India.Tirupati is located at the foothills of Tirumala. The city owes its existence to the sacred temple situated on the Tirumala Hills....
     is considered to be a very ancient temple. Pilgrims should first worship Lord Varaha and then Lord Venkateswara. It is also known as Aadhi Varaha Kshetra.
  • ThirukKalvanoor - Aadi Varaha Perumal in Kamakshi Amman Temple
    Kamakshi Amman Temple

    Kamakshi Amman Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Kamakshi, one of the forms of the goddess Tripura Sundari. It is located in the historic city Kanchipuram, near Chennai, India and is popularly associated with Adi Sankaracharya, one of the greatest Hindu saints....
    , Kanchipuram
    Kanchipuram

    Kanchipuram, Kanchi, or Kancheepuram is a city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the Indian States and territories of India of Tamil Nadu....
    .
  • [Thiruvalavendhai / Valavendhai Piraan / Gnaanapiraan] - Thirukkadalmallai (Mammallapuram) - Aadi Varaha Perumal holding Akhilavalli Thaayaar (Bhudevi) on His right. The only Varaha temple where Perumal holds Thaayaar on His right.
  • Sukarkshetra Temple - This temple is situated on the bank of Sarayu river in Paska village of Paraspur circle in Gonda district of eastern Uttar Pradesh (India).
  • YagnaVaraha- This temple is located in Karimnagar District, AndhraPradesh. The rituals are done according to Vaikhanasa Agama.


Other Names


  • Bhoovaraghan
  • Bhuvaraghan
  • Varaghan
  • Varha
  • YagnaVaraha
  • SreeVaraham
  • AdhiVaraha
  • Gnaanapiraan (also spelt Gnanapiran / Gnaanapiran / Jnanapiran)


See also


  • Narasimha
    Narasimha

    Narasimha is an avatara of Vishnu described in the Puranas, Upanishads and other ancient religious texts of Hinduism, and one of Hinduism's most popular deities, as evidenced in early epics, iconography, and temple and festival worship for over a millennium....
  • Sila (murthi)
    Sila (murthi)

    Sila, They are more often referred to as Shaligram Shilas, with Shila being the shortened version. The word Sila translates simply to 'stone' and Shaligram is a less well-known name of Vishnu....
  • Tulsi
    Tulsi

    Ocimum tenuiflorum is an aromatic plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is an erect, much branched subshrub 30-60cm tall, with simple opposite green or purple leaves that are strongly scented, and hairy stems....


External links


  • (vedabase.net)