Makara us a creature from Hindu mythology and its name comes from the Sanskrit word for ‘sea animal, or crocodile’. The Makara is a hybrid creature and is most usually shown as having the body of a fish or dolphin and the body of a crocodile. It also has the feet of a lion and on the end of its crocodile snout, there is a short trunk like an elephant. It is often represented as having a fish like tail or the tail of a peacock.

The Makara serves the mount for two deities, Varuna, the Hindu god of sky and water and Ganga, the river goddess. Makara is ideal for this role as it is a symbol of the boundary between the human world and the world inhabited by the gods. Born of water, it is well suited to serve two deities related to the sea and rivers.

Images of Makara can be found in Hindu and Buddhist temples in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Cambodia, Nepal, and Tibet.