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'''Vaikuntha Chaturmurti''' or '''Vaikuntha Vishnu''' is a four-headed aspect of the Hindu god [[Vishnu]], mostly found in [[Nepal]] and [[Kashmir]] (northern part of the Indian subcontinent). The icon represents Vishnu as the [[King of the gods|Supreme Being]]. He has a human head, a lion head, a boar head and a fierce head. Sometimes, even three-headed but aspects of Vishnu where the fierce rear head is dropped are considered to represent Vaikuntha Chaturmurti. Though iconographical treatises describe him to eight-armed, he is often depicted with four. Generally, Vaikuntha Chaturmurti is shown standing but sometimes he is depicted seated on his ''[[vahana]]'' (mount) [[Garuda]].
The concept of a four-headed Vishnu first appears in the [[Hindu epic]] ''[[Mahabharata]]'', but the complete iconography was first found in a 5th-century [[Pancharatra]] text. The icon reflects influences from the [[Gupta period]] and the [[Gandhara]] architectural tradition. While as per one interpretation, the animal heads represent Vishnu's avatar [[Narasimha]] (lion-headed man) and [[Varaha]] (boar), another theory based on Pancharatra texts relates the four heads to the ''[[Chaturvyuha]]'': [[Krishna|Vasudeva]] (Krishna), [[Balarama|Samkarshana]] (Balarama), [[Pradyumna]] and [[Aniruddha]] – four ''vyuha''s (manifestations) of Vishnu. A cult centered on Vaikuntha Chaturmurti developed in Kashmir in the 8–12th century, when the deity also enjoyed royal patronage in the region. The [[Lakshmana Temple, Khajuraho|Lakshmana Temple]] of [[Khajuraho]] suggests his worship in the [[Chandela]] kingdom (Central India) in the 10th century.
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[[Vaikuntha]] generally refers to Vishnu's abode, but in the ''[[Mahabharata]]'' and the [[Puranas]], this term is also used as an epithet of Vishnu.<ref>Gail p. 305</ref> Though no clear etymology of ''vaikuntha'' exists, the term is believed to be derived from ''vi-kuntha'', literally meaning "not blunt". The earliest scriptures like the [[Vedas]], [[Upanishads]] and [[Brahmanas]] connect the epithet to [[Indra]], the king of the gods and the Supreme god of the era. By the time of the ''Mahabharata'', Vishnu gained the role of Indra and the epithet ''vaikuntha'' was transferred to him. The use of ''vaikuntha'' in the name also suggests that the form represents the [[Parabrahman|Para]] (Ultimate Reality) form of Vishnu.<ref>Desai pp. 37–8</ref>
The name ''Chaturmurti'' also appears in the ''[[Vishnu sahasranama]]'' (thousand names of Vishnu).<ref name="Chinmayananda1983">{{cite book|author=Swami Chinmayananda|title=Thousand Ways to The Transcendental: Vishnusahasranama|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G2EfW1oiVw8C|access-date=23 December 2012|year=1983|publisher=Chinmaya Mission|isbn=978-81-7597-245-2|page=193}}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
==Iconography==
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[[File:Vishnu and Shri Lakshmi on Garuda LACMA M.72.53.1 (1 of 2).jpg|right|thumb|Lakshmi-Vaikuntha riding his vehicle (''[[vahana]]'') [[Garuda]], 11th century Kashmir]]
Vaikuntha Chaturmurti is generally depicted standing. He wears rich clothes (generally in sculpture, only a [[dhoti]]<ref name = "Desai41"/>) as well as various ornaments like a crown, armbands, necklaces etc., symbolic of royalty and the [[yagnopavita]] (sacred thread).<ref name="KossakWatts2001"/> In his eight arms, he is prescribed in the texts to carry [[gada (weapon)|gada]] (mace), sword, arrow and the Sudarshana Chakra in his left hands and [[shankha]] (conch), shield, bow and lotus in his right hands.<ref name="Rao">{{cite book|last=Rao|first=T.A. Gopinatha|title=Elements of Hindu Iconography |volume=1: Part I|year=1916|publisher=Law Printing House|location=Madras|page=256|url=https://archive.org/stream/cu31924071128825#page/n661/mode/2up}}</ref> However, in sculpture, he is often [[Chaturbhuja|four-armed]]<ref name="anna"/><ref name="Gail p. 306">Gail p. 306</ref> and in two of his hands, he holds a lotus and a conch, while his other hands rest on the heads of his personified weapons (''[[ayudhapurusha]]'') – Gadadevi or Gadanari (gada as a female) on his right and Chakrapurusha on his left, who stand as small figures besides his legs. They both look upwards towards him and hold fly whisks. A tiny figurine of the earth goddess [[Prithvi]] (who associated with Varaha and Vishnu as his consort) rises from the pedestal in between his feet, as though supporting the deity. A short dagger or sword may be tucked up in the waist belt of the god near the right hip, a peculiar feature of Kashmir icons. Attendants or devotees may be also shown besides or below Vishnu.<ref name="ArtPal1989">{{cite book|author=Pratapaditya Pal|title=Indian Sculpture (700–1800): A Catalog of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Collection|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-fvKVDxcJoUC&pg=PA53|access-date=22 December 2012|date=1 February 1989|publisher=Los Angeles County Museum Of Art and University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-06477-5|pages=53–4, 70–2}}</ref><ref name = "Desai41"/><ref>[http://www.nortonsimonfoundation.org/collections/browse_title.php?id=F.1975.16.09.S Vishnu as Vaikuntha, 10th century] The Norton Simon Foundation</ref> Sometimes, Brahma and Shiva and the [[Dashavatara|ten avatars of Vishnu]] may be depicted in the background.<ref name = "Desai41"/>
As prescribed in the ''Jayakhya-Samhita'', Vaikuntha Chaturmurti may be depicted as riding his vehicle (''[[vahana]]'') [[Garuda]] too,<ref name="Rao"/><ref name="Desai39"/> though these images are rarer. In this configuration, the god holds a sword, a lotus, a mace or a conch and the ''chakra''. Generally, on four feathers of Garuda sit four female figures, two on either side of Vaikuntha Chaturmurti. The identity of the female figures is uncertain. They are interpreted as two goddesses (possibly consorts of Vishnu – Lakshmi and Bhumi) and two female attendants.<ref>Desai pp. 42–3</ref> The ''Jayakhya-Samhita'' mentions that four goddesses Lakshmi, Kirti, Jaya and Maya as the female counterparts of Vaikuntha Chaturmurti.<ref name="Bandyopadhyay1987">{{cite book|author=Bimal Bandyopadhyay|title=Survey of Indian metal sculpture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7DS4AAAAIAAJ|access-date=17 December 2012|date=1 January 1987|page=146|publisher=Sundeep Prakashan}}</ref> Rarely, Vaikuntha Chaturmurti is accompanied with his consort Lakshmi, who sits on his left thigh. This form is called ''Lakshmi Vaikuntha'' in the ''Jayakhya-Samhita''.<ref name="Desai 43">Desai p. 43</ref>
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| image2 = The God Vishnu in Three Incarnations. Northern India (Mathura), Gupta period, mid-5th century AD. Boston Museum.jpg
| caption2 = Fragment of a statue of Vishnu with the three faces, mid-5th century. [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]].<ref name="CS"/>
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Vaikuntha Chaturmurti first appears in the ''Mahabharata'', where he is known as ''Murtichatushtaya''. Besides the four faces, no details of his iconography are found though.<ref name = "Desai39">Desai p. 39</ref> The ''Jayakhya-Samhita'', generally dated to the Gupta period (c. 5th century CE), is the first iconographical reference to Vaikuntha Chaturmurti.<ref name="Gail pp. 305-6">Gail pp. 305–6</ref>
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The iconography of Vaikuntha Chaturmurti was influenced by [[Gandhara]] architectural tradition, which impacted the iconographic depictions of sculptures of Northwest India, particularly those made in Kashmir.<ref name="KossakWatts2001"/> Keeping with the Gandhara style, the body and legs are depicted as strong and sturdy. The muscular body is considered to be inflated with ''[[prana]]'' (life-breath), an Indian concept. The bow arched eyebrows and lotus shaped eyes are also characteristic of the Indian school of sculpture.<ref name="KossakWatts2001">{{cite book|author1=Steven Kossak|author2=Edith W. Watts|title=The Art of South and Southeast Asia: A Resource for Educators|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=orBAYzCRJhIC&pg=PA73|access-date=17 December 2012|date=1 January 2001|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art|isbn=978-0-87099-992-5|page=73}}</ref> The presence of the earth goddess at the feet also reflects Central Asian influence. The ''ayudhapurusha''s in the icon may be inspired by those in the Vishnu iconography of [[Gupta Empire#Art and architecture|Gupta art]].<ref name="ArtPal1989"/> They and the earth goddess are also part of traditional Vishnu iconography, even when he is depicted as one-headed.<ref name="Publications1989"/>
The central Vishnu head and side heads of Varaha and Narasimha may be influenced by other configurations in architecture. For example, Vishnu, Varaha and Narasimha may be depicted on back (western) and side (northern/southern) walls of temples. Varaha (rescues the earth from the cosmic waters at the beginning of an [[Kalpa (aeon)|eon]]), Vishnu (as a human) and Narasimha (destroying a demon) may represent creation, preservation and destruction – the three functions in the Hindu universe.<ref>Gail pp. 300, 305</ref> Vaikuntha Chaturmurti represents Vishnu as the [[King of the gods|Supreme Being]], Creator of the Universe.<ref name="met"/><ref name="KossakWatts2001"/> Also, Varaha and Narasimha are oldest in antiquity (avatars [[Matsya]] and [[Kurma]] which are described in sacred texts to be appearing before Varaha and Narasimha were associated with Vishnu at a later date).<ref name="Gail pp. 297-9, 306"/> Their presence in the iconography of Vaikuntha Chaturmurti suggests that this form originated in the Gupta era, where their cults were at their peak.<ref name="Desai39"/>
Many writers associate the boar and lion heads to the avatars Varaha and Narasimha, others associate with the ''Chaturvyuha''s, however the latter is heavily disputed.<ref name="ArtPal1989"/><ref name="museum"/><ref name="Gail pp. 297-9, 306">Gail pp. 297–9, 305–6</ref> The ''Vishnudharmottara Purana'' describes the ''Chaturvyuha''s – [[Krishna|Vasudeva]] (Krishna), [[Balarama|Samkarshana]] (Balarama), [[Pradyumna]], [[Aniruddha]] – four manifestations of Vishnu. Though the text does not explicitly equate the two forms. Many modern indologists as well as Pancharatra followers associate both of them based on the association of Chaturvyuhas with [[Guṇa|guna]]s (qualities) in the ''Vishnudharmottara Purana'' and the Pancharatra texts. The gunas are in turn associated with Vaikuntha Chaturmurti. The human face is Vasudeva, who symbolizes strength/power (''bala''); the lion is Samkarshana, who is knowledge/wisdom (''jnana'') personified; the demonic form is Pradyumna, who is prosperity/sovereignty (''[[aishvarya]]'') and the boar is Aniruddha, the Lord of energy (''shakti'').<ref name="ArtPal1989"/><ref name="Gail pp. 297-9, 306"/>
==Worship==
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==References==
{{commons category|Vaikuntha chaturmukha}}
* {{cite book|author=Kalpana Desai|title=Iconography of Visnu|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4M90AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA47|date=31 December 2013|publisher=Abhinav Publications|pages=37–|id=GGKEY:GSELHU3JH6D}}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
*{{cite journal | title=On the Symbolism of Three- and Four-Faced Viṣṇu Images: A Reconsideration of Evidence | author=Adalbert J. Gail | journal=Artibus Asiae | year=1983 | volume=44 | issue=4|jstor=3249614}}
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[[Category:Forms of Vishnu]]
[[Category:Lion
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