INDIAN HINDU ICONOGRAPHY OF TWENTY-THREE NARASIMHA IMAGES FROM SOME TEMPLES OF EASTERN ODISHA

Abstract

The study of extant Narasimha images of Eastern Odisha is one of the fascinating aspects of the Hindu Sculptural art of India. The region of Eastern Odisha is an important historical place of India. The worship of Lord Vishnu is prevalent in Eastern Odisha since the early medieval period. Narasimha, is the avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu who incarnates in the form of part lion and part man to destroy evil and end religious persecution and calamity on earth, thereby restoring Dharma. In the Hindu religion, Narasimha is the fourth avatarar of Lord Vishnu, the preserver god in the Hindu ‘Trimurti’ (Trinity), who appeared in ancient times to save the world from an arrogant demon figure.  Narasimha or Nrusimha became the most popular god of the people of Odisha in the early medieval period. After the visit of various Vaishnava preachers to Odisha and establishment of different mathas, worship of Lord Vishnu in the form of Madhava (Madhavananda), Rama, Narasimha, Krushna, Narayana, Varaha, etc. in Eastern Odisha has been wide spread. Vaishnavism had deeply influenced the religious life of the people of Odisha. Hindu mythology says that Narasimha’s half-lion, half- man appearance allowed him to circumvent the blessing received by the demon king Hiranyakashipu that he could not be killed by any human and animal. Lord Narasimha was neither fully animal nor fully human, he was able to slay the demon Hiranyakashipu and save the world. Images of Narasimha in different forms noticed in Eastern Odisha are very interesting study for scholars, antiquarians, archaeologists as well as art historians from both the religious and iconographical points of view. The aim of this article is to focus on iconographic features of twenty-three Narasimha images as surveyed by the present author from the different Hindu temples of Eastern Odisha along with their religious significance. Both the primary and secondary sources are critically examined and interpreted as per the methodological process for the writing of this article.