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, Balarama's mythology and his association with the ten avatars of Vishnu is relatively younger and post-Vedic, because it is not found in the Vedic texts. The legend of Balarama as the avatar of Shesha, the demigod-serpent Vishnu rests upon, reflects his role and association with Vishnu. He is identified with the vyuha avatar of Sankarshana, along with the deities of Shesha and Lakshmana. 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. History Part of a series onīalarama 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 second-century BCE. īalarama's significance in Indian culture has ancient roots. Some traditions regard him as one of the 10 principal avatars of Vishnu himself.

īalarama is sometimes described as incarnation of Shesha, the serpent associated with the deity Vishnu Krishna is regarded as an incarnation of Vishnu.

The first two epithets 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, and the next two refer to his strength.

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. Balarama ( Sanskrit: बलराम, IAST: Balarāma) is a Hindu god and the elder brother of Krishna.

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