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The Hindu Pantheon

HTML clipboardVishnu
 In the Hindu Trinity, Vishnu is the Protector, the god who preserves universal order and fights to restore harmony. He is represented as a four-armed man, holding four attributes, or symbols: a conch shell, for sounding his victory over chaos, a discus, the invincible weapon given to him by Indra, a mace, symbol of his power, and, in Cambodia, a small ball, representing the Earth. His consort is Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and good fortune. Because he takes a particular interest in human affairs, he must often take on an earthly form to intervene. These various forms of Vishnu are known as avatars, and traditionally there are 10, known as Dashavatara, the Ten Incarnations, each taken on during one of Vishnu's descents to earth:
 1st: As Matsya, in the form of a lish, to save mankind from the great flood at the beginning of creation.
 2nd: As Kurma, a turtle, to support the Churning of the Sea of Milk in one creation myth.
 3rd: As Varaha, a boar, to save the earth goddess Bhumi dragged to the bottom of the sea by the demon Hiranyaksha.
 4th: As Narasimha, half-man, half-lion, he kills a tyrant king who believes himself to be immortal and who dares to forbid the worship of Vishnu.
 5th: As Vamana, a dwarf, he confounds the demon king Bali who has acquired great power, who condescendingly offers the god as much land as he can cover in three steps. Vamana transforms himself into a giant and takes possession of heaven, earth and underworld.
 6th: As Parashurama, a warrior who avenges the death of his father and restores the importance of the brahmins.
 7th: As Rama, he defeats the forces of evil under the demon Ravana.
 8th: As Krishna, he rights wrongs and brings happiness to the world.
 9th: As Buddha, he helps direct mankind towards the right path of living. This avatar was invented as a means of putting Buddhism in a subordinate position.
 10th: As Kalki, either riding a horse or as a horse, the future avatar, who will appear at the end of the present era, the Kali Yuga.
 According to local and regional traditions, Vishnu can also take other forms. However, the two most famous of these avatars are Rama, eponymous hero ol the epic the Ramayana, and Krishna. Both of them are ideal heroes, both physically and morally, and their exploits have always been enormously popular among Hindus. More than this, they are a rich source of incident for the many narrative reliefs that appear at Angkor on lintels, pediments and gallery walls.
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