Divinity Atlas

Sacred Correspondences
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Sacred Art & Iconography

Dasavatara Shrine (National Museum, New Delhi)

Hindu Art

A miniature Hindu shrine carved in ivory and wood in the late eighteenth century CE in South India, in the signature style of the Mysore school of ivory carving, decorated with black paint. Ten images of the avatars of Vishnu stand on a painted stepped sandalwood base, one avatar to the first step (Matsya, the fish), two to the second (Kurma the tortoise and Varaha the boar), three to the third (Narasimha the man-lion, Vamana the dwarf, and Parashurama), and four to the fourth and highest step (Rama, Balarama, Krishna and Kalki). It is held by the National Museum, New Delhi. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Physical Form
MediumSourced to the subject's own account
Ivory and wood, painted 1
Custody
Current LocationSourced to the subject's own account
National Museum, New Delhi 2
Current CustodianSourced to the subject's own account
National Museum, New Delhi (Ministry of Culture, Government of India) 2
Subject Matter
Depicted SubjectSourced to the subject's own account
The ten avatars of Vishnu: Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Balarama, Krishna and Kalki, arranged across four steps. 1
Attributions
TraditionSourced to the subject's own account
Hinduism 1
Origins
CreationSourced to the subject's own account
1700 to 1799 1
CountrySourced to the subject's own account
India 1
Classification
Object TypeSourced to the subject's own account
Sculpture or Statuary 1
Medium (class)Sourced to the subject's own account
Sculpture 1
Connections

Associated With

Delhi, Cities

This source names Delhi directly: "It is held by the National Museum, New Delhi."

Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)
Kalki, Figures

This source names Kalki directly: "step (Rama, Balarama, Krishna and Kalki)."

Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)
Narasimha, Figures

This source names Narasimha directly: "Varaha the boar), three to the third (Narasimha the man-lion, Vamana the dwarf, and Parashurama), and four to the fourth and highest step (Rama, Balarama, Krishna and Kalki)."

Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)
Varaha, Deities

This source names Varaha directly: "to the second (Kurma the tortoise and Varaha the boar), three to the third (Narasimha the man-lion, Vamana the dwarf, and Parashurama), and four to the fourth and highest step (Rama, Balarama..."

Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)

Belongs to Tradition

Hinduism, Religions
Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)

Depicts

Balarama, Deities
Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)
Kalki, Deities
Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)
Kurma, Deities
Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)
Matsya, Deities
Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)
Narasimha, Deities
Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)
Parashurama, Deities
Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)
Vamana, Deities
Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)

Originated In

India, Regions
Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)
Sources
1. Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)
Wikipedia, citing Roshen Dalal, Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide (Penguin, 2014) and the National Museum, New Delhi
  • Lead section, describing the shrine
    The Dasavatara shrine is a miniature Hindu shrine displaying the ten incarnations of the Hindu deity Vishnu, carved in ivory and wood.
  • catalogue record, medium/object-type description
    A miniature Hindu shrine carved in ivory and wood in the late eighteenth century CE in South India, in the signature style of the Mysore school of ivory carving, decorated with black paint.
  • Belongs to Tradition: Hinduism, Stored tradition property on this entity, cited to this source: Hinduism
  • Originated In: India, Stored country property on this entity, cited to this source: India
View the Source
2. National Museum, New Delhi (institutional record)
National Museum, New Delhi (Ministry of Culture, Government of India)the holders' own accountView the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.

View At A Past Year

Choose a year to see this entry's facts and connections as the atlas records them at that moment: what it held then, what it held instead, and what it had not yet adopted. Choose Present for the current record.