The Hindu deity Vishnu

Material and Style: This image represents one of the many artistic styles of southern India. This southern Vishnu is carved with profuse, minute decoration. Here there is much piercing and undercutting, freeing parts of the decoration from the stone block. The crowns, for instance, almost begin to resemble basketry.

Identifying Symbols: The elaborate decoration makes some objects hard to recognize. The conch shell and war discus Vishnu holds in his upper hands have long, hanging garlands that look like handles. Vishnu is flanked by smaller images of his wives. At the upper edges of the backslab are very small representations of all ten of his incarnations.