Mask of Vaikuntha Vishnu, late 5th century. Learn more about 5th century masks
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From the Sanskrit word nilakanta, meaning “blue throat,” this is an epithet used for the Hindu deity Shiva. According to mythological accounts from the Bhagavata Purana, the name was given to Shiva after he swallowed the poisonous kalakuta that emerged from the churning of the kshirasagara or “Ocean of Milk.”