Mandala- Gandaberunda

Today’s post is Gandaberunda Mandala. I have grown up, reading and listening to mythological stories and today’s for the bird #7mandalachallenge I decided to draw a mythological bird Gandaberunda.

My first encounter with this bird motif was 25 years back.I saw this motif, in my house embroidered on a pillow cover. That’s when my mom told me what it was, and how she did it. It looked majestic, strong and attractive. But then I haven’t seen them normally in paintings or art stalls.

It is used as the official emblem of my home state, Karnataka because it is a symbol of strength. It is believed to be capable of fighting the forces of destruction. It appears as an intricately carved sculpture motif in Hindu temples.

So here is my small attempt to draw this Majestic, mythological bird.Hope you guys love it.

Step by Step Photos:

Read more about it here:

The Gandaberunda or Berunda (Kannada: ಗಂಡಭೇರುಂಡ gaṇḍabheruṇḍa), or Bheruṇḍa (Sanskrit: भेरुण्ड, lit. terrible) is a two headed bird in Hindu mythology believed to possess immense magical strength. It was the emblem of the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore under the Wodeyar kings, and after India attained independence, it was retained by Mysore state as its emblem. That state was enlarged in 1956 and renamed Karnataka in 1973, and the Gandabherunda continues to be the official state emblem of Karnataka

The Gandaberunda was later identified as a physical form displayed by Narasimha. Man-Lion incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It’s mentioned by several Hindu scriptures.

After Lord Narasimha had slain the demon Hiranyakashipu he clung on to his dreadful form. The Devas were even more afraid of Lord Vishnu than they were of the demon. In order to protect the entire creation, lord Shiva incarnated as Sharabha or Sharabhesvara, a part-lion and part-bird beast. This further angered Lord Narasimha who took the form of Lord Gandaberunda, who fought Sharabha for 18 days and held him between his two beaks and tore him apart, thus killing him.

Happy Drawing!