Standing Vishnu in samapada
Photogallery
Standing Vishnu in samapada
The central figure represents Vishnu in the samapada position (upright with feet together), surrounded by representations of his avatars (incarnations of the god).
Vishnu is a deity of Vedic origin and along with Brahma and Shiva, forms part of the Trimurti or Triad in Hinduism. He represents the principle of preservation and, thanks to his various avatars, is able to intervene when the universal order is threatened.
Of the four original arms it remains only the upper left, which holds the wheel (symbolising the life cycle, death and rebirth), while the others would have held his other main attributes: the shell, the club, and the lotus flower, at times replaced by the bow.