The Shakti (female potency) of Vishnu’s Varaha avatar who saved the Bhudevi (earth goddess) from drowning in the eternal oceanic waters, goddess Varahi enriches the earth-dwellers with her potent brilliance that drives away the forces of darkness and fills the soul with a tranquil light. This aspect of the Matrika (mother goddess) Varahi in Hindu and Tantra tradition is known as “Shweta Varahi”, (white Varahi) a Satvika (pure) incarnation of the warring goddess. Blissful in appearance and in the boons she bestows, goddess Varahi graces the canvas in this spellbinding Kerala mural that has forsaken the battle-ready aspect and has taken the most appealing feminine form.
The artist has given a rich gleaming yellow and blue backdrop of a multitude of spirals, creating a lyrical background for the divine image of goddess Varahi to appear. On a blossoming red lotus (Padma) that represents the interiors of one’s enlightened mind, the magnificent goddess Varahi sits regally in Lalitasana, or the posture of royal ease. The delicate red of the lotus flower is extended to the sole of Devi’s feet and the palms of her eight arms, in which she carries various heavenly weapons. Her main left and right hands are placed in the “Varada mudra” (gesture of giving boon) and “Abhaya mudra” (gesture of fearlessness), in which the loveliness of her red-tinted palms can be seen.
In this goddess Varahi Kerala mural painting, Devi is offered otherworldly ornamentation, with a large Kalasha (water pot) like a crown, gold, pearl, and gem-studded necklaces and breast ornament, yellow dhoti, and a red and green waist cloth. The moon-like form of Shweta Varahi appears divine with the richness of ornamentation and refined facial features. The sow-face deity's countenance carries pristine tranquility and is drawn with such skills that goddess Varahi appears to be charmingly smiling. The attire, boar face, and form of goddess Varahi resonate so closely with Vishnu’s Varaha form in this Kerala mural, that one might mistake her for his male counterpart. To underline the individuality of the goddess the painter of this Varahi painting has resorted to the artistic technique of softening the features- be it the eyes, ears, tiny fangs at the end of the face, or the overall face itself, the attributes of Devi Varahi have distinctive femininity to them. A hint of rounded breasts underneath the ornaments on the torso and a small dot (Bindi) on the forehead of Maa Varahi also make it easy to differentiate her from Lord Varaha. The fusion of Varaha and Varahi in the iconography of this Kerala mural can also be interpreted as the visual narration of the Hindu-Tantric belief in the eternal union of Purusha (the primordial male) and Prakriti (the primeval female).
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