The correct option is Panch Sirya Devata.
Explanation
Warli painting is a traditional tribal art form indigenous to the North Sahyadri Range in Maharashtra. It is renowned for using rudimentary geometric shapes-circles, triangles, and squares-to depict social life, nature, and spiritual beliefs, often drawing heavily from agricultural contexts.
Detailed Analysis:
- Panch Sirya Devata: This figure is a specific motif in Warli iconography. The term translates to "Five-headed God." Visually, this deity is often represented as a headless warrior, sometimes riding a horse or standing. Instead of a human head, five corn shoots, sheaves of grain, or tufts of grass emerge from the neck. This imagery symbolizes the deity's role as a guardian of crops and a harbinger of agricultural fertility.
- Virabhadra, Hayagriva, and Mahishasura: These are deities primarily associated with Puranic Hindu mythology. While tribal art often assimilates various influences, the specific iconographic description of a headless warrior with corn shoots is unique to the Panch Sirya Devata within the Warli tradition.
Key Takeaway: The Panch Sirya Devata in Warli art serves as a symbol of fertility and protection, uniquely depicted as a headless figure sprouting five corn shoots to represent agricultural abundance.