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Narasimha Kills the Demon-King Hiranyakashipu
Northern India, Kangra, Punjab Hills
Not on view
In this classic Kangra-style painting, Narasimha appears as the majestic lion-headed slayer of evil. Vishnu emerges dramatically from a slender pillar and disembowels King Hiranyakashipu in a scene set in a stagelike court interior. The king’s son, Prahalada, an unwavering devotee (bhakta) of Vishnu, gives praise. This painting is likely from a Dasavatara series devoted to Vishnu’s ten most celebrated appearances on earth. It may have been created during the reign of Raja Samar Chand (r. 1774–1823), a renowned patron of the arts in the Kangra court and himself a devotee of Vishnu.
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