A Painting from a Dasavatara Series: Matsya Avatara, or fish avatar of Vishnu

Title

Year/Period

ca 1830

Region

Kangra, India

Material

Opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper, within a black, green and white scroll frame, with pink borders

Dimension

Image size: 12.8 x 20.4 cm,
Gross measurement: 17.3 x 25.0 cm

Accession No.

2016-00294

Collection of

Asian Civilisations Museum

The blue-skinned Vishnu is shown emerging from his fish avatar and holding a manuscript page from the ancient sacred texts called the Vedas. He also holds a golden mace, a conch shell, a discus and the lotus flower he usually holds is tucked into his yellow dhoti. He is attacking the demon Hayagiva who emerges from a conch-shell, and holds up a golden mace and a shield to protect himself.Matsya, which means fish in Sanskrit, is Vishnu’s first avatar, or incarnation. Hayagriva had stolen the ancient Vedas from Brahma, and hidden them in the ocean. Therefore Vishnu takes the form of a great fish to kill Hayagriva and retrieve the vedas, signified by the manuscript in his hand.