This is a rare photograph of a sculpture of the fish incarnation of Vishnu, Matsya avatara taken by Joseph David Beglar in the 1870s at Gharwa(Prayagraj district in present day Uttar Pradesh in India). The earliest remains here date to the Gupta period, however, the site was occupied for a number of centuries. This sculpture depicts the fish (‘Matsya’ in Sanskrit) which is the first of the ten incarnations of the God Vishnu. Under this aspect the God advised Manu, the patriarch of mankind, to build a ship in order to preserve himself, all seeds and animals from the primordial deluge. (Copyright: The British Library Board)
