A major Hindu tradition which worships Vishnu and his ten avatars (dashavatara). Early forms of Vaishnava worship emerged from later Vedic cults such as that of the Vrishni heroes (pancha vira) and was transformed during the rise of Bhakti practices in the medieval period. Texts central to the tradition include scriptures such as the Bhagavata Purana, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, as well as epic literary texts such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana.