Varaha

Varaha, opaque watercolour painting on paper that is attributed to the Indian artist Mahesh of Chamba, an artist of the Chamba school of Pahari painting. This work was created in about 1750–75.

Mahesh was active at the Chamba court between 1730 and 1770. Little is known about him, but it is believed that he worked as a carpenter-painter with prestigious artists such as Laharu. Mahesh is mostly known for his Dashavatara and Bhairava—illustrated texts of religious stories. The Pahari state of Chamba, in Himachal Pradesh—a region in the foothills of the Himalayas—was ruled by the Rajput dynasty in the 18th century.

At that time, Chamba was a refuge for many artists, and it became renowned for its miniature painting style. This style was a deliberate innovation that was intended to symbolize political resistance to the Mughal influence in the Pahari states. The Rajput dynasty practiced Vaishnavism, a form of Hinduism that focuses on the worship of the god Vishnu, and the ruler Umed Singh of Chamba (reigned 1748–64) commissioned many works of art.

Dashavatara tells the story of the ten incarnations or avatars, of Vishnu. the third of which is known as Varaha, or the boar, often depicted as a man-boar. In Varaha, Mahesh’s hallmarks are apparent—the predominance of dark blue to represent water and the conceptual representation of the horizon, the architecture, and the clouds. The horizontal format recalls traditional miniature paintings. Varaha is conventionally rendered in blue with a gemmed crown, a yellow lower garment, auspicious marks on his torso, and a garland of wild flowers. Holding the four attributes of Vishnu—the conch, the disk, the lotus, and the mace—in his four arms, he defeats a demon. With this work, Mahesh has told a traditional tale in his unique style.