Vishnu reclining on Sheshnag
Also called: Anantashayana Vishnu · Topic: Early Indian Art and Architecture: Stupas, Rock-cut Caves, Temples · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings"
Meaning
This is an image of Vishnu lying on the coils of Sheshnag, the great serpent, as if asleep on the cosmic ocean. It is also called Anantashayana ("resting on Ananta", another name for the serpent). The image belongs to Puranic Vaishnavism. Its story comes from the Puranas, not from Vedic texts. It is a good example of how early temples showed Puranic stories in their sculpture.
Example
The Dashavatara temple at Deogarh (Uttar Pradesh), c. 5th century CE, from the Gupta period, has a carved panel of Vishnu reclining on Sheshnag on one of its outer walls.
Don't confuse with
- Varaha at Aihole: also a Vishnu image, but it shows the boar avatar rescuing the earth goddess. It is from Karnataka, c. 6th century.
Related concepts
- Puranic Hinduism
- Vaishnavism
- Avatar
- Dashavatara
- Varaha
- Vasudeva-Krishna
- Shaivism
- Linga
- Garbhagriha
- Antarala