Udayagiri Caves, cave 5, Vishnu as Varaha Avatar

The Udayagiri Caves are an early Hindu ritual site in the state of Madhya Pradesh, Northern India. They were extensively carved and reworked under the command of Chandragupta II, Emperor of the Gupta Empire, in the late 4th and 5th century CE. One of India's most important archaeological sites from the Gupta period, it is currently a tourist site under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India.

Udayagiri consists of a substantial U-shaped plateau immediately next to the River Bes. Udayagiri is best known for a series of rock-cut sanctuaries and images excavated into hillside in the early years of the fifth century CE. The site has important inscriptions of the Gupta dynasty belonging to the reigns of Chandragupta II (c. 375-415) and Kumaragupta I (c. 415-55). In addition to these remains, Udayagiri has a series of rock-shelters and petroglyphs, ruined buildings, inscriptions, water systems, fortifications and habitation mounds, all of which have been only partially investigated.

Cave 5 is a shallow niche more than a cave and contains the much-celebrated figure of Vishnu in his Varaha or Boar-headed incarnation. This monumental figure of Vishnu is the most artistic sculpture is the Udayagiri Caves.