Vaikuntha Vishnu

Vaikuntha Chaturmurti
Vaikuntha Chaturmukha, 9th century, Kashmir in Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Affiliation	Form of Vishnu
Mount	Garuda

Vaikuntha Chaturmurti or Vaikuntha Vishnu is a four-headed aspect of the Hindu god Vishnu, mostly found in Kashmir (northern part of the Indian subcontinent). The icon represents Vishnu as the Supreme Being. He has a human head, a lion head, a boar head and a demonic head. Sometimes, even three-headed aspects of Vishnu where the demonic 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 Chaturvyuha - Vasudeva (Krishna), Samkarshana (Balarama), Pradyumna and Aniruddha - four vyuhas (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 of Khajuraho suggests his worship in the Chandela kingdom (Central India) in the 10th century.

The icon is known by various names: Vaikuntha,Vaikunthanatha ("Lord of Vaikuntha"),Chaturmurti ("four-fold representation"),Chaturanana ("four-faced"),Para Vasudeva Narayana,Vishnu Chaturmurti, Vishnu Chaturanana and Vaikuntha Chaturmukhi ("four-faced Vaikuntha"). The Vishnudharmottara Purana calls him Vishnu-Vaikuntha. The icon may be called Chaturvyuha ("having four vyuhas"), when identified with the four manifestations or vyuhas of Vishnu.