Skip to Content
Closed today, next open Thursday. Closed today, next open Thursday.

Narasimha, Man-Lion Incarnation of God Vishnu Destroying the Demon Hiranyakashipu

A work made of basalt.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of basalt.

Date:

Pala period, 11th century

Artist:

Bangladesh or eastern India

About this artwork

Narasimha was one of the avatars of Vishnu, a man-lion form that he assumed in order to help his beloved devotee Prahad, the son of the demon king Hiranyakashipu. He had outlawed worship of Vishnu and tormented the prince for his faith. The king’s devotions were dedicated to the god Brahma, who rewarded him by granting that he could not be killed by man or beast, inside or outside, by day or night. Here, Vishnu is shown in his Narasimha incarnation (neither man nor beast), emerging from a pillar (neither inside nor outside) at twilight (neither day nor night) to disembowel Hiranyakashipu. The story had particular resonance among the kings and warriors of Pala eastern India.

Status

On View, Gallery 141

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

Narasimha, Man-Lion Incarnation of God Vishnu Destroying the Demon Hiranyakashipu

Place

Bangladesh (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1001–1100

Medium

Basalt

Dimensions

105.9 × 43.9 × 21.2 cm (41 3/4 × 17 1/4 × 8 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

James W. and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection. Gift of Marilynn Alsdorf

Reference Number

2020.550

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/153538/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Learn more

Image actions

Share