Varaha

Varaha is the third avatar of Vishnu, who took the form of a boar to lift the Earth from the cosmic waters. He is shown as a boar-headed man with the Earth goddess Bhudevi resting on his tusk. Odisha has important Varaha shrines. The Yajna Varaha temple at Jajpur, on the left bank of the Vaitarani river, dates to the 15th or 16th century and is busiest at Varaha Jayanti. The Lakhmi Varaha temple at Aul in Kendrapara district is about 500 years old. Varahi, the boar-faced goddess of the Shakta tradition, is a separate deity honoured at Chaurasi in the Prachi valley.

According to the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana, the demon Hiranyaksha dragged the Earth to the bottom of the cosmic ocean. Vishnu took the form of a boar, found the Earth, lifted her on his tusks and set her back in her place, and he killed Hiranyaksha who tried to stop him. The image of...