Vishnu as Varaha challenges the demon Hiranyaksha

Manaku's ( Guler) Vishnu as Varaha is a fine exempler of pahari miniature painting of the Guler school of Arts. He is famous for visual art curation of the Bhagavata Purana series and had a great impact on his younger brother Nainsukh's work too. In this opus of his, he illustrated Vishnu in his Boar avatar in confrontation with a demon Hiranyaksha who tried to submerge the earth in a cosmic ocean and bring it to its ruin. The storytelling is quite evident in this picture with chromatic contrast, tonal modulation and spatial layering. While Surface level ornamentation and calligraphy added to the depth of the painting. This piece is also one of the most studied paintings of contemporary times and was patronised by the Rajputs in the 18th century. Hence this goes on to show the cultural reverence that this painting holds beyond a particular epoch.