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Visnu as the Boar Varaha North central India, c. 11th century Sandstone Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection, 69.43 Visnu, as the cosmic boar, rescued the earth goddess from the depths of the ocean and the clutches of a serpent demon. The earth goddess is depicted here as a beautiful young woman seated on Varaha's elbow. Varaha, with a boar's head on a man's body, stands in a victory pose upon a lotus pedestal. He carries Visnu's attributes: the mace, the discus, and the conch. As Varaha, Visnu once again maintains and protects the universe from disruptive forces in his role as preserver. |