Navagunjara is an animal mentioned in the Oriya Mahabharata
written by Sarala Das. It is believed that Vishnu appeared as Navagunjara to
impart a very important lesson to Arjuna. The lesson was that human mind is
limited but universe is boundless. The story of Navagunjara and Arjuna is a
popular theme in the Ganjifa Card painting in Orissa.
Navgunjara had the head of rooster or cock, neck of peacock,
hump of a bull, tail of a serpent, leg of elephant, leg of tiger, leg of
antelope and hands of human beings.
You can view the Navagunjara and Arjuna Ganjifa cards made
in Puri, Orissa, here at the IGNCA website.
Related