INDIA, NAYAKA PERIOD, 17TH-18TH CENTURY

Bhu Devi, the Earth Goddess, is one of Vishnu's wives. After she was abducted by the demon Hiranyaksha, Vishnu took on the form of his boar avatar Varaha and plunged in to the depths of the ocean to save her. After lifting her above the waves on his tusks, Vishnu vanquished the demon with his chakra. In South Indian representations of Bhu Devi, she is often shown as part of a trinity with Vishnu in the center and Sri Devi on the other side. While Bhu Devi and Sri Devi's iconography are very similar, Bhu Devi can be distinguished by the breast-band, which Sri Devi lacks.