Mask of Vaikuntha Vishnu, late 5th century. Learn more about 5th century masks
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Literally meaning “tortoise” in Sanskrit, it is second of the dashavatara or ten incarnations the Hindu deity Vishnu, wherein he takes the form of a tortoise. The tortoise is associated with the mythological episode of the Samundra Manthan (“churning of the ocean of milk”), in which its back provided a steady foundation for the churning stick.