Mask of Vaikuntha Vishnu, late 5th century. Learn more about 5th century masks
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An epithet for the Hindu deity Shiva, meaning “the one who carries Ganga” in Sanskrit. The name derives from the episode in Hindu mythology, where the descent of the river Ganges (gangavatarana) from the heavens (swarga) to the netherworld (naraka) was broken by Shiva’s hair, whose matted locks allowed the river to fall to earth as a stream.