2009.202.236: Vishnu Saves Gajendra, the Elephant King, from the Crocodile Demon (painting, recto), illustration of the Gajendra Moksha (The Liberation of the Elephant King Gajendra) chapter from the Bhagavata Purana

Identification and Creation

Object Number

2009.202.236

Title

Vishnu Saves Gajendra, the Elephant King, from the Crocodile Demon (painting, recto), illustration of the Gajendra Moksha (The Liberation of the Elephant King Gajendra) chapter from the Bhagavata Purana

Other Titles

Alternate Title: Vishnu Saves the King of the Elephants

Classification

Paintings

Work Type

painting

Date

c. 1640

Places

Creation Place: South Asia, India, Rajasthan

Culture

Indian

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/217220

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Dimensions

30.5 x 20.8 cm (12 x 8 3/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History

Stuart Cary Welch (by 1983 - 2008,) by descent; to his estate (2008-2009,) gift; to Harvard Art Museum.

Notes:
Object was part of long-term loan to Museum in 1983.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Stuart Cary Welch Collection, Gift of Edith I. Welch in memory of Stuart Cary Welch

Accession Year

2009

Object Number

2009.202.236

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

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Descriptions

Description

The painting depicts Vishnu slaying a monster to free the embattled King of the Elephants. Vishnu came down to earth to protect Gajendra, the elephant king, from the clutches of a crocodile, Makara or Huhu. Here the blue-skinned Hindu god, Vishnu, is seen flying on his vehicle, Garuda, the eagle. His discus weapon, the Sudarshana chakra, has slain the crocodile who had captured the Elephant King, Gajendra. Gajendra breaks from the shackles of the crocodile demon and offers Vishnu a lotus as his homage. In the upper register, we see multiple Vishnu seated in small vignettes alongside birds like the peacock. With Vishnu's help, Gajendra achieved moksha or liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

This story appears in the eighth book of the Bhagavata Purana, which contains stories related to the various avatars of Vishnu (one of the three principal deities of Hinduism). Rajput, Rajasthani.

Publication History

• Stuart Cary Welch and Milo Cleveland Beach, Gods, Thrones, and Peacocks Northern Indian Painting from Two Traditions, exh. cat., Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (New York, NY, 1965), page 63/figure 13

Exhibition History

• A Decade of Collecting: Recent Acquisitions of Islamic and Later Indian Art, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 06/08/2000 - 09/03/2000

Verification Level