The spectacular Patachitr painting portrays Kurma incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Lord Vishnu, one of the Trinity Gods in Hinduism, is responsible for the preservation of the universe. In order to preserve the universe from any impending catastrophe, He took various incarnations. These incarnations detail the divine help extended by Lord Vishnu during various stages of human evolution, by appearing on earth in different forms. These incarnations are said to demonstrate that divinity re-establishes Dharma or righteousness and destroys injustice from time to time, by appearing on earth in various incarnations.
Once at the time of the recreation of the Earth, the gods fell short of the elixir or Amrita. The gods sought the assistance of the demons for churning of the ocean of milk, which would bring forth these treasures. They offered them an equal share of the Amrita.
The demons agreed and helped the gods to tear up the Mount Madura to use as a churning stick. The serpent King Vasuki came from his underwater abode to be used as a churning rope. The gods took the tail end and the demons pulled from the head. As the churning continued, Vasuki's breath grew very hot and the demons almost suffocated.
But when Vasuki started vomiting a poison that threatened to contaminate the ocean of milk and the Amrita, Lord Shiva took it in his mouth, where it turned his throat blue. (This is why Lord Shiva is known as Neelkantha). As the churning progressed, the Mount Madura started sinking into the ocean bed. Soon, Lord Vishnu assumed the form of his tortoise avatar Koorma and let them use his back as a pivot upon which the churning stick could turn.
Out of the Ocean was born Goddess Lakshmi, Sura, the Goddess of wine, Chandra or the Moon, Rambha the nymph, Uchchaisravas the white horse, Kaustubha a jewel, Parijata the celestial wishing tree, Surabhi the cow of plenty, Airavata a white elephant, Sankha a conch shell, Dhanus a mighty bow and Visha the poison vomited by Vasuki.
The demons, however, caught on to the deception and grabbed the amrit kumbh. During the quarrel, some Amrita drops fell on the earth, that later became the precious gem mines. Jayant, the son of Indra, removed the pot from the quarreling gods and demons and ran away with it. He rested at four places in India, where he set down the pitcher, drank a little, and let a few drops of nectar spill to the ground. Where these drops landed became the four sacred sites of the Kumb Mela. Another version has it that Garuda, the sacred mount of Vishnu, spilled the amrit four times at the four places where the Kumb Mela festival is now held. His journey took 12 days, equalling 12 years for mortals. |
