Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Avatar
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
Vishnu's avatars Vishnu defeats Mahabali in three steps Seventeenth-century illustration from the Mahabharata showing Krishna, with blue skin, driving a white horse-drawn chariot as Arjuna sits behind him holding a bow. A Nepali devotee stands facing the large, colorful statue of Bhairava at Kala Bhairava temple in Kathmandu, reaching up to perform a ritual with offerings and garlands. Stone relief showing Draupadi standing at the far right beside her five husbands, the Pandavas, at the Dashavatara Temple in Deogarh, India. Krishna and Radha Marble statue of Sri Ramakrishna draped in pink cloth and garlands, seated cross-legged on a white pedestal, surrounded by colorful flower arrangements in a shrine. Avatars in a virtual meeting room
At a Glance
Vishnu's avatars
avatar summary
Quizzes
Ganesha. Hinduism. Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu god of beginnings, figure on external walls of a South Indian Temple in Kerala, India.
Hindu Religion and Myth Quiz
Related Questions
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Vishnu's avatars
Vishnu's avatars Vishnu with his 10 avatars (incarnations): fish, tortoise, boar, man-lion, dwarf, Rama with the axe, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalkin. Painting from Jaipur, India, 19th century; in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Avatar

Hinduism
Also known as: avatāra
Written by
Charles Preston
Charles Preston is Associate Editor for Religion at Encyclopædia Britannica.
Charles Preston
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

Avatar, in Hinduism, the incarnation of a deity in human or animal form to counteract some particular evil in the world. The word avatar comes from a Sanskrit verb form meaning “descend” that combines the Sanskrit prefix ava (“down”) and the verb root tṝ (“pass across”). Any deity can undergo a “descent” from the divine realm into the human world, but the term usually refers to the 10 appearances of Vishnu. Quick Facts The 10...

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content
Explore Subscriptions
DNA
Right
Mobile