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Dashavatar Ganjifa Cards – Ten Incarnations of Vishnu in Pictures on Ganjifa Cards

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Dashavatar Ganjifa cards contain the images of the ten incarnations of Vishnu. The game of Ganjifa Cards was very popular in ancient India. The cards contain hand painted images of aspects of Hindu tradition.

Link – You can view Dashavatar Ganjifa Cards here at the Indira Gandhi National Centre of Arts website. You can opt for the slide show for easy viewing.

Dashavatar Paintings In Odisha

Dashavatara paintings, depicting the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu, hold significant cultural and religious importance in Odisha. These paintings are a part of the rich tradition of Pattachitra art in the state. Pattachitra, a traditional art form of Odisha, involves intricate paintings on cloth, often depicting mythological themes, religious stories, and folklore.

In Odisha, Dashavatara paintings are commonly found in Puri, Konark, and Bhubaneswar, where they adorn the walls of temples, shrines, and households. Each avatar of Lord Vishnu is depicted with distinctive characteristics and attributes, symbolizing various stages of evolution and the divine purpose of Vishnu's incarnations.

The ten avatars of Lord Vishnu depicted in Dashavatara paintings are:

  1. Matsya (the fish)
  2. Kurma (the tortoise)
  3. Varaha (the boar)
  4. Narasimha (the half-man, half-lion)
  5. Vamana (the dwarf)
  6. Parashurama (the warrior with an axe)
  7. Rama (the prince of Ayodhya)
  8. Krishna (the divine cowherd)
  9. Buddha (the enlightened one)
  10. Kalki (the future incarnation, yet to come)

These paintings not only serve as visual representations of Hindu mythology but also convey moral, ethical, and philosophical teachings associated with each avatar. They are often used as aids for storytelling and religious discourse, deepening the understanding and reverence for these divine incarnations among devotees and art enthusiasts alike.