Cleveland Museum of Art

Das Avataras, Ten Incarnations of Vishnu (verso), from a Kalighat album

Shri Gobinda Chandra Roy

Date

c. 1890

Medium

Woodcut, hand colored with gum tempera

Culture

Eastern India, Bengal, Kolkata, Kalighat

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This hastily hand-colored woodcut depicts a set of ten avatars, or incarnations, of the Hindu god Vishnu as recognized in 1800s Bengal. In each avatar, Vishnu descended to earth in order restore balance and order to the world. In the top register, from left to right, are Vishnu’s avatars as fish, tortoise, boar, man-lion, and Brahmin. Below are Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Jagannath, and Kalki. The image of Rama shows him after his victory over the demon Ravana. He sits with Sita, crowned, holding bow and arrow. His monkey general Hanuman stands before him in a gesture of adoration. The hero Rama is can be seen in the lower register, second from left, with his wife Sita and devotee Hanuman.

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