19th-century painting by Raja Ravi Varmaīalarama was the son of Vasudeva. The 1st-century Mora well inscription near Mathura, dated between 10 and 25 CE, mention the installation of five Vrishni heroes in a stone temple. In some those are "Pradyumna, Samba and Aniruddha", in others "Anadhrsti, Sarana and Viduratha". In some Indian ancient arts and texts, Balarama (Sankarsana) and Krishna (Vasudeva) are two of the five heroes ( Pancaviras of the Vrishnis). The same relationship is also visible in the hierarchy of the Vrishni heroes. At Chilas, Balarama is shown taller and bigger than Vāsudeva-Krishna. On the coins of Agathocles of Bactria, Balarama is on the front of the coin (the side with a legend in Greek), whereas Vāsudeva-Krishna is on the reverse ( Brahmi side). In all of these early depictions, Balarama-Samkarsana seems to hold a senior position over Vāsudeva-Krishna. The early Balarama images found in Jansuti (Mathura, Uttar Pradesh) and two at Tumain (Ashoknagar, Madhya Pradesh) are dated to 2nd/1st-century BCE and these show Balarama holding a Hala (plough) and a musala (pestle) in his two hands. The artwork also has an inscription with it in Kharosthi script, which has been deciphered by scholars as Rama-Krsna, and interpreted as an ancient depiction of the two brothers Balarama and Krishna. The larger of the two males hold a plough and club in his two hands.
Rev Vāsudeva-Krishna with Brahmi legend Rajane Agathukleyasasa "King Agathocles".Īt Chilas II archeological site dated to the first half of 1st-century CE in northwest Pakistan, near Afghanistan border, are engraved two males along with many Buddhist images nearby. Obv Balarama- Samkarshana with Greek legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΓΑΘΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ "King Agathocles". This is "the earliest unambiguous image" of the two deities. Coins, arts and epigraphy Ĭoin of Agathocles of Bactria with depiction of Balarama, 190-180 BCE. īalarama, as Baladewa, is an important character in the 11th-century Javanese text Kakawin Bhāratayuddha, the Kakawin poem based on the Mahabharata. īalarama finds a mention in Kautilya's Arthashastra (4th to 2nd century BCE), where according to Hudson, his followers are described as "ascetic worshippers" with shaved heads or braided hair. However, the Balarama's mythology and his association with the ten avatars of Vishnu is relatively younger, that is post-Vedic though ancient because it is not found in the Vedic texts. The legend of him as the avatar of Shesha, the serpent Vishnu rested on, reflects his role and interconnection with Vishnu. He is classified in the Vyuha avatar Sankarshana were in Shesha and Lakshmana are part of. Narratives of Balarama are found in Mahabharata, Harivamsha, Bhagavata Purana and other Puranas. In some art works of the Vijayanagara Empire, temples of Gujarat and elsewhere, for example, Baladeva is the eighth avatar of Vishnu, prior to the Buddha (Buddhism) or Arihant (Jainism). The Book Three ( Vana Parva) states about Krishna and him that Balarama is an avatar of Vishnu, while Krishna is the source of all avatars and existence. Balarama's legend appears in many Parva (books) of the Mahabharata. His iconography appears with Nāga (many-headed serpent), a plough and other farm artifacts such as a watering pot, possibly indicating his origins in a bucolic, agricultural culture. īalarama from Mathura, Early Medieval period (8th–13th century CE).īalarama is an ancient deity, a prominent one by the epics era of Indian history as evidenced by archeological and numismatic evidence. In Jainism, he is known as Baladeva and has been a historically significant farmer-related deity. His image in artwork is dated to around the start of the common era, and in coins dated to the 2nd-century BCE. īalarama's significance in the Indian culture has ancient roots. Some traditions regard him as one of 10 principle avatars of Vishnu himself. īalarama is sometimes described as incarnation of Shesha, the serpent associated with the god Vishnu Krishna is regarded as an incarnation of Vishnu. The first two epithets refer to his strength, and the next two associate him with Hala ( Langala, "plough") from his strong associations with farming and farmers, as the deity who used farm equipment as weapons when needed. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Baladeva, Balabhadra and Sankarshana. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities.
Ulmuka (sons), Vatsala/Shashirekha(daughter)īalarama ( Sanskrit: बलराम, IAST: Balarāma) is a Hindu god and the elder brother of Krishna.