Relief of Varāha (the Boar incarnation of Viṣṇu)
S O L D
Material: Buff sandstone
Dimensions: H. 67 cm; W. 36 cm
Date: c. 975–1050 CE
Culture: Chandella period, Central India (Khajuraho region, Bundelkhand)
Description
The relief depicts Viṣṇu in his boar incarnation, Varāha, raising the goddess Earth (Bhūdevī) from the cosmic waters. Varāha’s left leg rests on a lotus supported by nāgas, his body adorned with a vanamālā and heavy jewelry, while attendants flank the scene. The halo and crisp beading are typical of Chandella sculpture from Khajuraho and surrounding temples of the late 10th–early 11th century.
Inscriptions
Top edge
śrī viṣṇu varāha — “The glorious Viṣṇu (as) Varāha.”
Base
śrī varāha … yaśodevaḥ — “The glorious Varāha, (dedicated by) Yaśodeva.”
The inscriptions identify both the deity and the donor, a rare survival for portable reliefs.
Attribution & Date
Stylistically and epigraphically attributable to the Chandella dynasty, c. 975–1050 CE, corresponding to the temple-building boom at Khajuraho.
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Provenance
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Collection of Herr Fred Gelz, Saarbrücken, acquired prior to 2012 (per statement of the widow of the consignor).
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Thence by descent.
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Comparative Examples
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Varāha reliefs at the Lakṣmaṇa Temple, Khajuraho (c. 954 CE).
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Varāha panels in the State Museum, Bhopal, and Gwalior Archaeological Museum.
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Comparable early Nāgarī dedicatory inscriptions appear in Khajuraho temple records dated to c. 1000 CE.
Significance
This relief is a finely preserved example of Chandella-period Vaiṣṇava art, retaining its inscriptions that identify the deity and donor. Such textual evidence, combined with stylistic features, provides rare insight into both theology and patronage. Its size, craftsmanship, and provenance from the Fred Gelz Collection further enhance its importance for both scholarship and the art market.
Comparative Examples
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Khajuraho, Lakṣmaṇa Temple (c. 954 CE): The monumental Varāha relief in the Varāha shrine at Khajuraho, commissioned by the Chandella ruler Yaśovarman, shows the deity with similar beaded vanamālā and attendant figures. (See Dehejia 1990, pl. 34–36).
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Khajuraho, Viṣṇu Temple Reliefs (late 10th c.): Smaller Varāha panels with donor inscriptions in early Nāgarī, closely resembling the script and style of the present piece.
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State Museum, Bhopal: Sandstone reliefs of Varāha, 10th–11th century, with comparable proportions and jewelry. (Published in Harle 1974, Gupta and Post-Gupta Sculpture).
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Gwalior Archaeological Museum: Varāha images from the Chandella domain, with early Nāgarī dedicatory inscriptions. (See Meister 1986, Khajuraho: Temples of the Chandella Dynasty).
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British Museum, London (acc. no. 1880.135): Fragmentary Varāha sandstone relief, 10th–11th century, provenance Bundelkhand region.
Bibliography
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Dehejia, Vidya. Early Stone Temples of Central India. Thames & Hudson, 1990.
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Harle, J.C. Gupta and Post-Gupta Sculpture. Oxford, 1974.
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Huntington, Susan L. The Art of Ancient India: Buddhist, Hindu, Jain. New York: Weatherhill, 1985.
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Meister, Michael W. Khajuraho: Temples of the Chandella Dynasty. Princeton, 1986.
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Willis, Michael. Inscriptions of Gopakṣetra: Materials for the History of Central India, c. 600–1100 CE. London: British Museum Press, 1997.
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Huntington, John C. & Susan L. Leaves from the Bodhi Tree: The Art of Pāla India. Dayton Art Institute, 1990 (for comparative inscriptional paleography).
Note on Epigraphy
The ductus of the inscription matches early Nāgarī dated examples from Khajuraho temples, such as the Lakṣmaṇa Temple foundation inscription (954 CE) and subsequent Chandella records up to c. 1050 CE (see Willis 1997, pp. 72–89).
