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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