Makara

Bharhut, c. 100 BC
Indian Museum, Calcutta

Something of the origin of the makara, or at least its early composition in India, can be seen here. The water beast, confined beneath a ledge with kneeling rams that represent the realm of land, is pictured here as a chimera with the snout of a crocodile, the head and forequarters of an elephant, the body of a snake, and the fins and tail of a fish.