Naraka was an Asura, but he was born of the gods. He was the son of Vishnu himself. His mother was Bhumi-devi, the earth goddess. When Hiranyaksha dragged Bhumi-devi under the sea, Vishnu assumed the form of Varaha, the boar, to rescue her. Narakasura was born from their union. Along with him, mountains, valleys, and vegetation were created. Varaha’s tusks shaped the flat earth into a landscape, while Bhumi-devi gave birth to vegetation.
Narakasura is often called Bhauma in the Puranas, as the son of Bhumi. He is first mentioned in the epics, but the details of his parentage appear in later Puranas such as the Vishnu Purana and the Bhagavatam. His story shows that even the son of a god can become a demon through arrogance. The Wikimedia image by Nittavinoda shows the famous Varaha sculpture at the Hoysaleshwara temple in Karnataka.
Source: Speaking Tree

The Mahabharata describes Narakasura as the king of Pragjyotishpura (prag – east, jyotish – learning, pura – city). While some scholars locate this city in northwestern India, the Rajatarangini, the authoritative history of Kashmir, places Pragjyotishpura in Assam.
The three major dynasties of Assam before the Ahoms (13th century CE) claimed descent from Narakasura: the Varmans (350–650 CE), the Mlecchas or Salastambhas (655–900 CE), and the Palas (900–1100 CE). The Ahoms later ruled for nearly 600 years and gave Assam its present name. In the Puranas and the Arthashastra, Assam is most often referred to as Kamarupa. Pragjyotishpura is believed to have been the first capital of the Varmans, though this is not proven. Over time, Pragjyotishpura, Kamarupa, and Assam became synonymous. The Wikimedia image is from an 18th-century Nepalese folio of the Bhagavatam, depicting Naraka’s Pragjyotisha.
Source: Nirode Baruah, Pragjyotishpura – Capital City of Early Assam, JSTOR

According to the Bhagavatam, Narakasura stole Lord Varuna’s umbrella, mother Aditi’s earrings, and the playground of the gods known as Mani-parvata. Indra then went to Dwarka and sought Krishna’s help. Krishna resolved to fight Narakasura. The Vishnu Purana also tells of Indra reporting to Krishna about the theft of his mother’s earrings. The Udyog Parva of the Mahabharata simply states that Krishna recovered Aditi’s earrings by defeating Naraka.
In the Rig Veda, Aditi is said to cure sickness. In the Puranas she becomes the ‘mother of the gods,’ with Indra as her eldest child. Aditi also plays key roles in other Puranic stories—she is the mother of Vamana avatar, and is reincarnated as Krishna’s mother Devaki. The Mahabharata notes that Aditi became the mother of Vishnu seven times. The image from indiafacts.org shows Krishna returning her earrings after slaying Naraka.
Source: Wisdomlib.org

Garuda is the vehicle (vahana) of Vishnu. When Indra complained to Krishna about Narakasura, Garuda carried Krishna from Dwarka to Pragjyotisha. Garuda also played a major role in the battle—helping Krishna destroy the defences, evading astras, and killing elephants and horses.
Garuda symbolizes royalty. The Gupta emperors used Garuda as their emblem. Indonesia adopted ‘Garuda Pancasila’ as its national symbol, and its main airline is called Garuda Air. Thailand’s national emblem, ‘Phra Khrut Pha,’ also depicts Garuda. The picture shows a 10th-century CE Garuda sculpture from the National Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Unlike the benign half-man, half-bird figures of India, it depicts Garuda as a fearsome giant bird.
Source: Worldhistory.org

The Mahabharata and Vishnu Purana mention that Krishna defeated Naraka after a fierce battle. The Bhagavatam says Krishna killed Naraka with the Sudarshan Chakra, mentioning Satyabhama’s presence but not her role. In the Harivamsa, an injured Krishna faints and Satyabhama engages Naraka in a duel until Krishna recovers. A 15th-century Andhra text describes Satyabhama killing Narakasura herself when Krishna faints, since Naraka had a boon that only his mother could kill him. Satyabhama, as a consort of Krishna, represents Bhumi-devi (Naraka’s mother), consort of Varaha.
Popular culture echoes this theme of a mother killing her wayward son, as seen in films like Mother India and Deewar. Puranas are aptly described as ‘pura api navam iti Puranam’—old in history, yet new in teachings. The Wikimedia image shows a 16th-century Mughal painting of Satyabhama and Krishna on Garuda slaying Naraka.
Source: Indiafacts.org

Krishna destroyed the fortifications of Pragjyotisha, which included hills, unmanned weapons, and barriers of water, fire, and wind. It was guarded by the rope of Mura (mura-pāśa), full of knots. After destroying these, Krishna blew his conch Pancajanya, waking Mura—the five-headed demon sleeping in the moat. After a fierce battle, Krishna killed Mura and his seven sons. Thus he came to be called Murari (Mura’s enemy). This name, popular in bhajans, highlights Krishna’s role in protecting devotees from sins like lust and ego. The Wikimedia image (1840 CE) shows Krishna storming Naraka’s citadel, with five-headed Mura leading the defence.

According to the Bhagavatam, Krishna found 16,000 royal maidens imprisoned in Narakasura’s palace. They had been abducted from different kingdoms. When Krishna freed them, they prayed to him to accept them as his consorts. This story often confuses readers, since Krishna is usually described with only eight principal wives (Ashtabharya), Rukmini being the chief. The story is an allegory of bhakti—Krishna can liberate the entire world (symbolized by 16,000) from the prison of ego (Naraka’s palace) if one turns to him in devotion. The Wikiwand image shows Krishna liberating the women.

The Yuddha Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana recounts Ravana’s son Trishira consoling his father after Kumbhakarna’s death. Trishira claims he will kill Rama just as Vishnu killed Naraka. Many believe this refers to a different Naraka. The Vana Parva of the Mahabharata also states that Vishnu killed Naraka with his bare hands after Indra complained. Meanwhile, the Udyog Parva narrates the familiar story of Krishna defeating Naraka and recovering Aditi’s earrings. The Ramayana and Vana Parva may represent the earliest versions of the Narakasura legend. The Wikimedia image shows a 16th-century Delhi-Agra painting of Krishna attacking Naraka seated on an elephant.

The Kalika Purana gives the most complete version of Narakasura’s story. Just as Sita was Bhumi-devi’s daughter, Naraka was Bhumi-devi’s son. When Bhumi presented Sita to Janaka, she made him promise to also care for her son when born. Naraka was thus raised in Janaka’s palace. With Vishnu’s help, he conquered Pragjyotisha and was asked to worship Kamakhya Devi at Nilachal Hill. However, Naraka abandoned her worship under the influence of King Bana and even stopped Sage Vashishta from entering the Kamakhya temple. Cursed, he later gained invincibility, built a massive army, and oppressed the world. Eventually Bhumi appealed to Vishnu to rid the earth of her wayward son. The picture shows the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati.

After Naraka’s death, Bhumi-devi asked Krishna to protect his progeny. Krishna agreed and installed Naraka’s son Bhagadatta on the throne of Pragjyotisha. The Bhagavatam portrays him as a frightened boy, but in the Mahabharata he appears as a seasoned warrior, skilled in elephant warfare. His elephants wreak havoc among the Pandavas, and he nearly kills Bhima and Arjuna, before Arjuna slays him on the 12th day.
One of Bhagatta’s elephants was named Ashwattama whose death was used by Yudhishthira to confuse Drona.
Interestingly, sons of Krishna’s enemies like Shishupala and Jarasandha fought for the Pandavas, while Bhagadatta—once saved by Krishna—fought against them, perhaps out of resentment for his father’s death. The Wikimedia image (by Bhoomi) shows a Chennakesava temple sculpture of Bhagadatta on his elephant Supratika battling Bhima.

An old report from the New Indian Express explains: ‘Why the traditional oil bath, you may ask? When Krishna and Satyabhama returned from battle before daybreak, covered in blood and grime, they needed cleansing with sandal paste and scented oils. Hence the practice of the early morning oil bath.’ The Wikimedia image (1750 CE) shows Krishna and Satyabhama flying through the night sky on Garuda.
Source: New Indian Express

Burning Ravana effigies on Dussehra is common in North India, but in Goa, straw effigies of Narakasura are burnt at dawn to mark Diwali. Competitions are held to create the most impressive effigies, often monstrous in appearance. In Portuguese times, restrictions led people to hold bhajans and carry images of Naraka from house to house. After Goa’s independence in 1961, the practice evolved into grand public celebrations. Early effigies were small and homemade, but now Naraka-dahan features huge community-built figures. The image from dsource.in shows a Naraka effigy in a Goan neighborhood with a ‘Happy Diwali’ banner in the background.
Source: Times of India