Vahana

Glossary

An animal that is typically the mount or vehicle of deities in the Hindu pantheon. As mounts, they are often depicted with their respective deities and constitute part of their iconography. Vahanas are also worshipped as standalone beings. Some popularly depicted vahanas are Ganesha’s rat, Indra’s elephant, Durga’s lion, Kartikeya’s peacock, Lakshmi’s owl and Saraswati’s swan. From the Sanskrit, meaning “mount” or “vehicle.”

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Pre-Modern Art

Vahana%newline%An animal that is typically the mount or vehicle of deities in the Hindu pantheon. As mounts, they are often depicted with their respective deities and constitute part of their iconography. Vahanas are also worshipped as standalone beings. Some popularly depicted vahanas are Ganesha’s rat, Indra’s elephant, Durga’s lion, Kartikeya’s peacock, Lakshmi’s owl and Saraswati’s swan. From the Sanskrit, meaning "mount" or "vehicle."

Chicago	MAP Academy Encyclopedia of Art. “Vahana”. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://mapacademy.io/glossary/vahana/
MLA	“Vahana.” MAP Academy Encyclopedia of Art. https://mapacademy.io/glossary/vahana/. Accessed 27, April, 2024.
Harvard	MAP Academy Encyclopedia of Art. (2022) Vahana. [Online]. Available at: https://mapacademy.io/glossary/vahana/. (Accessed: 27, April, 2024)