Varaha, “the boar”, is the third avatar of Vishnu in the list of the Dashavatara. His story is about rescue: the earth has sunk into the primeval waters, and Vishnu takes the form of a great boar to raise it back to its place. It is one of the most widely shown avatars in Indian sculpture, from cave temples of the Gupta period to the great medieval temples, and at Tirumala many pilgrims visit his temple before any other. This page tells the story, notes where the texts differ, and covers the festival and the main temples.
Where the story comes from
Early Vedic texts speak of a boar that lifted the earth from the waters. The Taittiriya Samhita and the Shatapatha Brahmana tell of a boar named Emusha who raises the earth, and over time the figure was linked first with the creator Prajapati and then with Vishnu. The full avatar story is in the Puranas: the Vishnu Purana, the third book of the Bhagavata Purana, and the Varaha Purana, which is named for the avatar and has Vishnu telling the earth goddess about the world and about pilgrimage. The Mahabharata and the Ramayana refer to the boar as well. In the earliest sculptures the boar has a human body and a boar’s head, and in others he appears as a full boar.
The story as the tradition tells it
In the Bhagavata telling, the earth was sunk beneath the waters of the ocean at the beginning of a cycle, and Brahma, the creator, was perplexed about where to place the beings he was to make. As he reflected, a tiny boar came from his nostril, grew to the size of a mountain and roared. The sages recognised him as Vishnu and praised him with hymns of the Vedas.
The boar plunged into the waters and found the earth, Prithvi, who is called Bhudevi when she is honoured as a goddess. The demon Hiranyaksha, the twin brother of Hiranyakashipu, stood in his way, and a long battle followed, with club and weapons, until the boar killed him. Then Varaha carried the earth, resting on his tusks, up from the deep and set her on the surface of the water, where she floated like a great ship, ready for creation to continue. In many tellings Bhudevi is the consort of Varaha, and a son, Naraka, is born from their union. The Naraka of this telling is the demon whom Krishna later defeats, and his death is remembered at Naraka Chaturdashi. Not every text includes that thread.
The Hiranyaksha of the Puranas is described as the brother of the demon king whom Narasimha defeats in the next avatar, so the third and fourth stories are linked.
How the story is read
The tradition reads it as a story about the earth as a being to be held and honoured. Many Hindus address the earth as mother and ask her pardon before stepping on the ground in the morning, and the Varaha story is a part of that devotion. Devotional readers see Vishnu as the one who lifts what has sunk, and philosophers have taken the waters as the unmanifest state that comes before creation. A modern reading sometimes draws a line from the fish and tortoise to land animals; it is a popular interpretation, not something the Puranas themselves state. Tradition places the Varaha avatar in the Satya Yuga, after Kurma.
The festival: Varaha Jayanti
Varaha Jayanti is kept on the third day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada, the Tritiya, in most panchangs. That is the same day on which many women keep Hartalika Teej, so the two observances share a date in many years. A few traditions keep Varaha Dwadashi on another day in another month, and calendars do not all agree, so check the panchang that your family follows.
Devotees keep a fast, worship Vishnu with tulsi, flowers and lamps, and read from the Varaha Purana or the Bhagavata Purana. Customs differ between temples.
Temples
- Bhu Varaha Swamy Temple, Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh: it stands on the bank of the Swami Pushkarini tank, near the Venkateswara temple. By the local tradition, Venkateswara received the land from Varaha, and so devotees visit Varaha first. The custom is widely followed, and it is a matter of tradition and not of any rule.
- Bhuvarahaswamy Temple, Srimushnam, Tamil Nadu: a large temple in Cuddalore district, where Vishnu is worshipped as Varaha. Local tradition counts it among the eight self-manifested Vishnu shrines, called svayamvyakta kshetras.
- Varaha Temple, Pushkar, Rajasthan: an old shrine near the sacred lake, rebuilt over the centuries.
- Udayagiri caves, Madhya Pradesh: a monumental rock-cut relief of Varaha lifting Bhudevi, made in the Gupta period around the fifth century. It is an archaeological site, not a working temple.
- Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh: a medieval temple holds a large figure of Varaha carved with many small deities on his body.
Check the temple’s own notice, or the archaeological authority for the cave sites, before you travel, as timings and entry rules change.
Reading and reciting
The Vishnu Sahasranama contains names for Vishnu’s forms, and the Achyutashtakam is a short hymn for Vishnu days. The Gita’s account of why the Lord comes into the world is in chapter 4.
The next avatar
The list continues with Narasimha, the man-lion. Go back to the Dashavatara overview for all ten.
Frequently asked questions
↳ Who is Varaha?
Varaha is the boar avatar of Vishnu and the third in the usual list of ten. He lifts the earth, Bhudevi, out of the cosmic waters on his tusks after defeating the demon Hiranyaksha.
↳ Who is Hiranyaksha?
In the Puranas he is an asura and the twin brother of Hiranyakashipu, the king destroyed by Narasimha. Hiranyaksha is killed by Varaha, so the stories of the third and fourth avatars are linked.
↳ When is Varaha Jayanti?
Most panchangs place it on Tritiya of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada, which is also the Hartalika Teej tithi. Some regions use another day, so check your own calendar.
↳ Why do pilgrims at Tirumala visit Varaha first?
Local tradition says Varaha gave Venkateswara the hill, and so the Bhu Varaha Swamy temple by the tank is visited first. It is a custom of the place and a matter of devotion.
↳ Where can I see an old image of Varaha?
The Udayagiri caves in Madhya Pradesh hold a famous Gupta-period relief, and the Khajuraho temples have a large medieval figure. Both are heritage sites, so check the official notices before you go.