Hindu Pantheon
Vishnu
विष्णु(Vishnu)
Also known as Narayana, Hari, Vasudeva
- preservation
- protection
- dharma
- cosmic order
The preserver and protector of the universe, second member of the Trimurti. Vishnu maintains cosmic order (dharma) and appears in various avatars to restore balance when evil threatens.
About Vishnu
The Preserver of the Universe
Vishnu is the second god of the Trimurti, the supreme preserver who maintains cosmic order (dharma). He reclines on the thousand-headed serpent Shesha in the cosmic ocean of milk, dreaming the universe into existence.
The Ten Avatars (Dashavatara)
Whenever evil threatens to overwhelm good, Vishnu descends to Earth in an avatar. His ten principal incarnations include Matsya (fish), Kurma (tortoise), Varaha (boar), Narasimha (man-lion), Vamana (dwarf), Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalki (the future avatar).
Divine Attributes
Vishnu holds four items: the Sudarshana Chakra (discus of cosmic order), Panchajanya (conch of creation), Kaumodaki (mace of mental and physical strength), and a lotus (purity and creation). His mount is the eagle Garuda.
Festivals and Worship
Vaishnavism, centered on Vishnu worship, is one of Hinduism's largest denominations. Major festivals include Vaikuntha Ekadashi and Rama Navami. The mantra "Om Namo Narayanaya" is chanted by devotees worldwide.
Origin story
Vishnu reclines on the cosmic serpent Shesha in the ocean of milk. He is eternal and omnipresent. When dharma declines and chaos increases, Vishnu descends to Earth in different incarnations (avatars) to restore order.
Worship and cult
Temples, festivals, and practices recorded for Vishnu
Preserver, recumbent on the snake, and every avatara with its own house. Vaishnava temples feed, wake, and put the image to sleep. The cult is attendance on a living icon, not a single Greek-style sacrifice.
Sacred sites
- Tirumala Venkateswara at Tirupati
- Srirangam and the 108 Divya Desams
- Jagannath at Puri
Festivals
- Vaikuntha Ekadashi
- Janmashtami in Krishna form
- Rama Navami
Family
In the atlas
Where Vishnu appears
In the museums
Vishnu in art
Real objects in public collections, released into the public domain by the museums that hold them. Dates refer to when each object was made. Objects made within the tradition come first, later depictions after.
(opens the museum record)Ancient object
Vishnu (opens the museum record)
A gilded copper-alloy figure of Vishnu from Nepal's Kathmandu Valley, dated by inscription to 1105 CE. The museum catalogs it simply as Vishnu, standing in his four-armed form holding his usual attributes.
(opens the museum record)Ancient object
Standing Vishnu (opens the museum record)
A Chola-period bronze of Vishnu standing in a formal frontal pose, cast in South India for temple processional use. Chola bronzes of this kind were carried in festival processions rather than kept fixed in a shrine.
Sources and further reading
Source notes
These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.
- Rig Veda 1.154.1 (trans. Griffith)
Appears in
Ancient and classical works featuring this figure.
The wide-striding cosmic preserver whose three strides measure out earth, air, and the highest abode of light (Hymn 1.154)
About this entry
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
Parallels are editorial comparisons across traditions: a shared role does not, by itself, establish a shared origin.
Family relationships come from the atlas's kinship records. Ancient sources often disagree on divine genealogy.
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Genealogy
Family tree
Vishnu's parents, consorts, children and rivals, as recorded in the atlas.