Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India, circa 1720

After waging war on Heaven, Hiranyaksha the demon challenged Vishnu to a duel by abducting Prithvi, the Earth Goddess, and hiding her at the bottom of the ocean. Vishnu, in his third incarnate as Varaha the Boar, immediately shot out of Brahma's nose and dove into the ocean to rescue her. He lifted her up by his tusks and ascended to the surface. Once safely above water, Varaha used his chakra to disarm and destroy the demon. This relief depicts Brahma Varaha emerging triumphantly from the ocean with the earth perched on his tusks, while he tramples the demon below. For a similar work also in the Tandan collection but produced in Rajasthan, see RK Tandan, Indian Miniature Paintings, 16th through 19th Centuries, Bangalore, 1982, p.72, color plate 19 and fig.47.