Badami caves are located in Badami, Karnataka, India. Inscriptions here help date two of these caves to the 6th-century, while parts of the third cave and the most of the fourth is likely from the 7th-century. All were likely complete in 6th to 7th century, with some additions to the Jain caves likely in early 8th century.
<ul><li>The above panel shows the Varaha legend of the Hindu god Vishnu.</li></ul><ul><li>As a massive flood inundate the earth, Vishnu appears in the form of a boar-avatara called Varaha to save the earth. He dives into the water, rescues her respectfully to her grace.</li></ul><ul><li>Like all Vishnu legends, there is embedded allegory with symbolism. The floods are a symbolism for persecution, sorrow and any kind of suffering; the earth in this panel is shown as a goddess named Bhudevi (literally goddess of land). She is shown in Varaha's left hand, standing on a sacred lotus. Exhausted by the trauma and turmoil, she holds on to his tusk. The ocean is implied by the Naga coiled below.</li></ul><ul><li>The panel establishes that the multi-armed armed Vishnu iconography of <i>chakra</i> (discus) in the right rear hand and <i>shankha</i> (conch) in the left rear was well established by the 6th-century. Similarly the <i>gada</i> (mace, Kaumodaki) is also depicted in one of his right hands. The jewelry and half-boar, half-man depiction shows Vishnu's wealth and power, along with his ability to creatively transform.</li></ul><ul><li>There are green and red shades and fragments in parts of this panel. That  is because the Badami caves were originally painted caves. Almost all of the original paint has been lost to history and natural elements, except for certain sections.</li></ul>
<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Ms_Sarah_Welch" title="User:Ms Sarah Welch">Ms Sarah Welch</a>
2017-09-10 08:51:23
<span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>