Akupara
The weight of the cosmos
 
Akupara, known also as Kurma, is the sacred World Turtle of Hindu lore, a mystical turtle who bears the weight of the cosmos upon its vast shell. Across cultures, this ancient legend echoes—each telling a tale of a turtle holding the world steady. In Hindu mythology, mighty elephants stand upon Akupara’s back, upholding the earth and seas. In Chinese myth, the great turtle Ao had its legs severed by the creator goddess, propping the heavens after Mount Buzhou, once the pillar of the sky, was broken. In North America, a Lenape creation story tells of a turtle resting in the ocean, its rounded back rising until the waters receded, revealing dry land. From its shell grew a tree, and from that tree, mankind emerged. These stories, woven from distant lands, share a common thread—a world borne by the mystical turtle, an ancient symbol of balance and creation.
 
This image captures a green sea turtle floating through space in otherworldly lagoon waters.