Varaha (Sanskrit: वाराह) is the third avatar of Vishnu, in the form of a boar, who appeared in order to defeat Hiranyaksha, a demon who had taken the Earth (prthivi) and carried it to the bottom of what is described as the cosmic ocean in the story. The battle between Lord Varaha and Hiranyaksha is believed to have taken place for a thousand years, which the former finally won. Varaha carried the earth out of the ocean by his tusks and restored to her place in the universe.