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

Art Institute of Chicago

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

Bangladesh or eastern IndiaLinkedCulture matchlcp-c0187f8ed7c9

Date
Pala period, 11th century
Medium
Basalt
Culture
Bangladesh
Department
Arts of Asia
Institution
Art Institute of Chicago
Object ID
153538

From the Art Institute of Chicago record

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.

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Credit line
James W. and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection. Gift of Marilynn Alsdorf
Provenance
Tangibadi, district Dacca, Bengal Presidency, India (present-day Tongibari, Dhaka division, Bangladesh), by 1929 [Bhattasali 1929]. James W. Alsdorf (1913–1990) and Marilynn B. Alsdorf (1925–2019), Winnetka and Chicago, IL, by 1990 [according to the collecting practices of the Alsdorfs]; by descent to Marilynn B. Alsdorf, Chicago, 1990 [on long-term loan at the Art Institute of Chicago, July 15, 1997; publicly promised as a gift to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1997; signed a promised gift agreement for the work, 2002]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2020.

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Object type
AAT300301253

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