Site Name: Bhubaneswar
Date: 1990-1999
Subject: Nabgunjara. Nabgunjara depicts a composite animal in which Lord Vishnu disguised himself in the Odia version of Mahabharata. It has the head of a cock, neck of a peacock, hump of the bull, a snake for tail, and the waist of a lion. Three of its legs are from a tiger, a horse and an elephant while the fourth is a human holding a flower or a mirror. Wooden objects such as these are common in Odisha. Often, gambhari or beech wood, the local wood is used for the carvings as it has a fine texture and is light-cream color though other woods may also be used. This object has been procured by State Institute for Development of Arts & Crafts (SIDAC) Show House.