Vishnu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vishnu
God of Protection, Preservation of Good, Dharma restoration, Moksha
Affiliation	Supreme Being (Vaishnavism), Hari, Jagganath, Vithoba, Trimurti, Deva, Krishna
Mantra	Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya Om Namo Narayana

Vishnu icons across cultures

180 BCE Indo-Greek coin of Agathocles. 4th–6th century CE Gandhara seal. 13th century Cambodian Vishnu. India Myanmar Indonesia The iconography of Hindu god Vishnu has been widespread in history.

Vishnu is one of the three main gods in Hinduism. Vaishnavas believe that Vishnu is the highest God. Vishnu is the preserver god, which means he protects the earth from being destroyed and keeps it going, according to this religion, and he has come to earth in nine forms (called avatars) so far, with one yet to come. His most famous forms are Rama and Krishna. Vishnu's wife is Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of fortune.

Vishnu is usually shown with light blue skin and four arms. He holds a lotus, mace (gada), conch (shankha) and disc (chakra) in each of four hands.

Avatars

There are ten avatars of Vishnu (in the order they appeared):

• Matsya (Fish)
• Kurma (Turtle)
• Varaha (Boar)
• Narasimha (half Lion, half Man)
• Vamana (Pygmy / Dwarf / Short man)
• Parashurama (Fierce man / Hunter)
• Rama (Developed man / Ideal man / Fighter)
• Krishna (Cowherd Prince)
• Different branches of Hindu tradition accept two different figures as the 9th avatar of Vishnu:

• Balarama (Physically advanced man)
• Buddha (Intellectual and scientific man)

• Kalki (future avatar, has not appeared yet)

Icons

Vishnu holds items in his four hands. He holds a conch in the lower right hand, a discus in the upper right hand, a lotus (flower) in the upper left hand and a mace in the lower left hand.

Vishnu

Images for kids

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  The Bhagavata Purana is centered around Krishna, a Vishnu avatar.

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  The Angkor Wat Temple was built as a dedication to Vishnu.

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  Vishnu with Lakshmi(Laxminarayan) at Halebidu.

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  Ten avatars of Vishnu(Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Vamana, Krishna, Kalki, Buddha, Parshurama, Rama and Narasimha). Painting from Jaipur, now at the Victoria and Albert Museum

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  Uthpalawarna Vishnu Devalaya in Devinuwara, Matara, Sri Lanka

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  A statue in Bangkok depicting Vishnu on his vahana Garuda, the eagle. One of the oldest discovered Hindu-style statues of Vishnu in Thailand is from Wat Sala Tung in Surat Thani Province and has been dated to ~400 CE.

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  The front-view of Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala