Vishnu Chaturmurti
Karkota period - 8th to 9th century AD
Kashmir

Sculptural representations of Vishnu Chaturmurti exist throughout northern India but is most characteristic of the Kashmir region where it assumed a prominent position in the Hindu pantheon.

Vishnu in his four-fold aspect, Chaturmurti. Three aspects of Vishnu are represented on the front: the human form and the lion and boar personifications, crowned and sharing a single aureole. On the reverse is carved in low relief his rakshasa manifestation.

The figure is naturalistically carved with elements of the anatomy clearly deliniated. Rich jewellery and floral garlands adorn the figure and the lower garments are layered and folded in a complex configuration. Vishnu wears a splendidly elaborate three-lobed crown and the hilt of a dagger protrudes from the waist sash. The elaborate lotus flower is intact.

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