Mask of Vaikuntha Vishnu, late 5th century. Learn more about 5th century masks
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A clan of power-seeking figures in the Hindu pantheon. Often mistranslated as “demon,” the Sanskrit word asura originally meant “lord” and was used as an honorific epithet for some deities. However, the popular understanding of asura bears negative connotations, with asuras conceived as the “evil” binary to the “goodness” of the relatively benevolent devas.