AN ILLUSTRATION FROM THE BAGHAVATA PURANA: GAJENDRA MOKSHA

PAHARI, POSSIBLY GULER, 19TH CENTURY

Details

AN ILLUSTRATION FROM THE BAGHAVATA PURANA: GAJENDRA MOKSHA
PAHARI, POSSIBLY GULER, 19TH CENTURY
Gouache heightened with gold on paper, depicting Vishnu and Lakshmi on Garuda with the elephant Gajendra and a makara, between white and red borders with blue margins, mounted, framed and glazed
Miniature 7¼ x 10¾in. (18.3 x 27.3cm.)

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Lot Essay

Gajendra moksha means "Liberation of Gajendra" and is a popular tale from the Bhagavata Purana. While bathing in a lotus-filled lake, Gajendra, the king of elephants, disturbed a makara who grabbed his leg and began to pull him under water. Trapped within the makara's strong jaws, Gajendra tried in vain to free himself. As he was about to drown, the elephant-king picked up a lotus with his trunk. Lifting it towards the heavens, he cried, "I offer this to Vishnu, my lord, the refuge of the helpless." Instantly, Vishnu descended from Vaikuntha and liberated Gajendra by striking down the makara with his chakra.

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