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Description

Here’s my take on the Makara (called Chu-srin in Tibet), an amphibious and chimerical creature from Hinduism ; it is the vahana/mount of Ganga, the goddess of the Ganges, and of Varuna, the god of water. Its name can be translated as "sea animal", or as "dragon", in Sinhalese

Its association with water in general also links it to fertility and, to some extent, to the origins of life (other animals often gather around it, in temples).
All representations of the Makara are not strictly identical, but most of the time, it has the jaws, legs, and/or body of a crocodile, the trunk and tusks of an elephant, and the body of a a big fish. But other versions give it features of a greater number of animals : the eyes of a monkey, the ears of a boar, the paws of a lion, and the tail of a peacock. Also, other (and more obscure) representations of the Makara make it a creature with the head and legs of a stag, but with the body of a fish, sometimes with the looks of an Asian dragon.
It is a very common figure in the iconography of Hindu and Buddhist temples, and can be found as bas-reliefs above sacred places’ entrance, as sculptures on either side of stairs, or in the form of gargoyles. But it has even been exported to temples of Cambodia and Laos, often with Nagas (which are also linked to the aquatic world) springing from its jaws.

According to art historian John Boardman, the appearance of the Makara may have been influenced by the image of Cetus, from Greek mythology, through the Silk Road merchants. As for the indologist Josef Friedrich Kohl, he supposes that the dugong could have inspired the physiognomy of the monster, although others rather lean for the Ganges dolphin, whose long toothed jaws recall those of a gharial, and whose rounded forehead reminds of an Asian elephant’s.

Description

Here’s my take on the Makara (called Chu-srin in Tibet), an amphibious and chimerical creature from Hinduism ; it is the vahana/mount of Ganga, the goddess of the Ganges, and of Varuna, the god of water. Its name can be translated as "sea animal", or as "dragon", in Sinhalese

Its association with water in general also links it to fertility and, to some extent, to the origins of life (other animals often gather around it, in temples).
All representations of the Makara are not strictly identical, but most of the time, it has the jaws, legs, and/or body of a crocodile, the trunk and tusks of an elephant, and the body of a a big fish. But other versions give it features of a greater number of animals : the eyes of a monkey, the ears of a boar, the paws of a lion, and the tail of a peacock. Also, other (and more obscure) representations of the Makara make it a creature with the head and legs of a stag, but with the body of a fish, sometimes with the looks of an Asian dragon.
It is a very common figure in the iconography of Hindu and Buddhist temples, and can be found as bas-reliefs above sacred places’ entrance, as sculptures on either side of stairs, or in the form of gargoyles. But it has even been exported to temples of Cambodia and Laos, often with Nagas (which are also linked to the aquatic world) springing from its jaws.

According to art historian John Boardman, the appearance of the Makara may have been influenced by the image of Cetus, from Greek mythology, through the Silk Road merchants. As for the indologist Josef Friedrich Kohl, he supposes that the dugong could have inspired the physiognomy of the monster, although others rather lean for the Ganges dolphin, whose long toothed jaws recall those of a gharial, and whose rounded forehead reminds of an Asian elephant’s.