NARRATOR:
You are looking at a form of Vishnu called Narasimha, disemboweling the demon Hiranyakasipu. Here is their story:
STORYTELLER:
The demon Hiranyakasipu, who was devoted to the god Shiva, could be killed by neither man nor beast. When he discovered that his son had dedicated himself to Shiva’s rival Vishnu, the demon threatened to behead his offspring. But the son stood up for his beliefs, declaring that Vishnu was everywhere, even in the columns around them. Enraged, Hiranyakasipu kicked at a column. It split in two to reveal Vishnu as Narasimha, a creature half-man, half-lion, neither human nor animal. Narasimha took Hiranyakasipu across his thigh and tore his insides from his belly.
NARRATOR:
By the end of the first millennium, when this sculpture was created, Narasimha was popular among kings. Sometimes, he was worshipped in a peaceful form. But for those who wanted to use force, the wrathful Narasimha was the deity to turn to.
In this sculpture, his divinity is reinforced by the dispassionate expression on his leonine face as he disembowels his enemy. The victim’s sword is no threat to this ferocious four-armed deity, who seems to have placed his conch on the ground to free two of his hands for destruction.
To the left, a pillar with the head of a lion represents the column from which Narasimha emerged, while the small woman at the right, with a pot and fly whisk, may be Vishnu’s wife, Lakshmi, or the queen of the disemboweled ruler.
Narasimha, the Man-Lion Avatar of Vishnu
11th century
Asia: India, Bihār
On View
Details
- Title: Narasimha, the Man-Lion Avatar of Vishnu
- Date: 11th century
- Medium: Chlorite
- Dimensions: 46-3/4 x 23 x 9 in. (118.7 x 58.4 x 22.9 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1975.17.47.S
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
To Do Battle: Conflict, Struggle, and Symbol in Art
- Norton Simon Museum, 2002-03-08 to 2002-07-08
- Dye III, Joseph M., Asian Art: Selections from the Norton Simon Museum, 1988, fig. 11 p. 29
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 1: Art from the Indian Subcontinent, 2003, fig. 17, no. 141 pp. 21, 180-182
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1224 p. 384
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