with the head and shoulders of a lion,
but the torso and lower body of a man.
As with all of Vishnu’s avatars, this
appearance comes at a moment when
the cosmos is in crisis, and decisive
divine action is needed to restore cos-
mic equilibrium. See Man-Lion avatar.
Narasimha Jayanti
Religious observance falling on the four-
teenth day of the bright, waxing half
of the lunar month of Baisakh
(April–May). This day is celebrated as
the birthday of Vishnu’sfourth avatar,
Narasimha, although his birthday is
different from those of Vishnu’s human
avatars. Narasimha is not human, but a
creature with the head and shoulders of
a lion, and the torso and lower body of
a man. He is not born in the usual
sense, but bursts forth fully formed
from a pillar, to destroy the demon
Hiranyakashipu and to protect his
devotee (bhakta) Prahlada. See also
Man-Lion avatar.
Narasimhavarman I
(r. 630–668) Pallava dynasty ruler
during its most vibrant era, when it
was a stronghold of Tamil culture.
Narasimhavarman succeeded his father
Mahendravarman, who had been killed
in a battle with the forces of
the Chalukya king Pulakeshin II.
Narasimhavarman avenged his father’s
death by conquering the Chalukya king-
dom and killing Pulakeshin II in battle,
but the two kingdoms were so evenly
matched that neither could retain con-
trol over the other. Like his father,
Narasimhavarman was a great patron of
the arts. It was during his reign that con-
struction commenced on the great
sculptures at Mahabalipuram in the
state of Tamil Nadu. The most famous of
these is a rock-cut sculpturedepicting
the myth of the Descent of the Ganges,
in which a natural vertical fissure is used
to lay out the river’s path.
Narasimhavarman II
(r. 700–728) Pallava dynastyruler dur-
ing the dynasty’s most vibrant era, when
it was a stronghold of Tamil culture. Like
all the great Pallava monarchs,
Narasimhavarman II was a great patron
of the arts. During his reign there was
continued construction of the monu-
ments at Mahabalipuramin the state of
Tamil Nadu.Narayana
Epithet of the god Vishnu. The name is
traditionally interpreted as meaning
“resting on the waters,” based on the
claim that the word nara, which usually
means “man,” in this case means
“waters.” Narayana is the image of
Vishnu in the time of cosmic dissolution
(pralaya). He is reclining on his serpent
couch, Shesha, in the midst of the cos-
mic sea, with his wife, Lakshmi, seated
at his feet, and his vehicle, Garuda,
standing by. Vishnu is the sole remain-
ing agent in the cosmos, as its beginning
and end. When the time for a new cre-
ation arrives, a lotus sprouts forth from
Narayana’s navel, which opens to reveal
the creator-god Brahma. The cycle of
creation begins anew.Narayana Bhatta
(1513–1570?) The most celebrated schol-
ar and commentator on the dharma lit-
eratureof his time, and the patriarch of
a scholarly family. Narayana’sfather had
migrated from the city of Paithan, in
central India, to Benares, a center of
Sanskritlearning. Narayana’s work fell
mainly in the class of commentarial lit-
erature known as nibandhas(“collec-
tions”), which were compilations of
Hindu lore. Nibandha compilers collect-
ed references on a particular theme
from the Vedas, dharma literature,
puranas, and other authoritative reli-
gious texts, and then compiled these
excerpts into a single volume. Aside
from his unparalleled command of
these traditional texts, Narayana was
also noted for his learned interpretationNarasimha Jayanti