SOUTH INDIA, PALLAVA PERIOD, 8TH CENTURY

This figure of Varahi originally belonged to a set of seven goddesses, known as the Sapta Matrika or "Seven Mothers," comprising Brahmani, Maheshvari, Kaumari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, Indrani, and Chamunda. Each goddess is the divine female counterpart to a principal male god of the Vedic and Hindu pantheon; she is equally a singular and prominent deity who simultaneously embodies the benign and ferocious aspects of the divine mother. Varahi is the female counterpart to Vishnu's manifestation as the boar-headed god Varaha. Interestingly, Varahi is the only counterpart to an incarnation of a deity rather than the deity himself. Her inclusion may suggest that, like Skanda, Bhairava, and many local goddesses, she held a degree of independence in South India before being incorporated into Shaivism.