Kurma Avatar

Adorned with intricate patterns of GOND Tribal painting style, this painting depicts the incarnation of Lord Vishnu in the form of ' Kurma' ( The great turtle). In order to obtain the ' Amrit' ( heavenly Nectar) , the gods and demons resorted to ' Samudra Manthan' using the ' Mandara ' mountain as the churning stick. However, the earth beneath the mountain was too soft to support the churning stick. In response, Lord Vishnu took on the form of a tortoise, which allowed the point of the mountain to be placed on his back for stability. In this painting, the mountain is represented by the tree.