Gandaberunda

Gandaberunda (गण्डभेरुण्ड) or Bherunda (Sanskrit: भेरुण्ड, romanized: Bheruṇḍa, lit. terrible) is a two-headed bird in Hindu mythology which was taken by the Hindu God Vishnu, It is believed to possess immense magical strength. Vaishnava traditions hold it to be a form of Vishnu to fight Sharabha and Gandabherunda killed Sharabha (In Shaiva traditions, Sharabha is a form of Shiva taken to pacify Vishnu's Narasimha avatara and was killed by Vishnu as Gandabherunda). The bird is generally depicted as clutching elephants in its talons and beaks, demonstrating its immense strength. In a coin found in Madurai, it is shown holding a snake in its beak. All 2-dimensional depictions show a symmetrical image similar to the double-headed eagle while other images show the long tail feathers resembling a peafowl. In the Chennakeshava temple of Beluru, Karnataka, Gandaberunda, the two faced bird is carved as a scene of "chain of destruction", which results in the destruction of the universe. The Gandaberunda was later identified as a secondary form taken by Narasimha, the fourth avatara of Vishnu and it is shown killing both Sharabha and Hiranyakashipu at the same time. It is mentioned by several Hindu scriptures. After Narasimha had slain the asura king Hiranyakashipu, he drank his blood, but his fury did not subside. According to the original iterations of this legend, the asura's son Prahlada was able to pacify the wrath of Narasimha with the recitation of moving prayers, after which the latter returned to Vaikuntha. However, Shaiva traditions made retroactive alterations to this tale, seeking to establish the supremacy of Shiva. According to this iteration, the devas and devis, fearing that Narasimha might destroy the cosmos in his fury, approached the deity Shiva for help. In order to protect creation, Shiva took his Virabhadra form to beseech Narasimha to see reason, but Narasimha ignored this appeal. So, he then took the form of Sharabha or Sharabhesvara, a part-lion and part-bird beast.