statue near the museum entrance
Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas

Vishnu: Across Time and Space

Saturday, January 30, 2021

Vishnu. Vietnam (Mekong delta region) Khmer culture, pre-Angkor phase. Zhenla period, 2nd half of the 7th century. Sandstone. 38 x 20⅝ x 11½ in. (96.5 x 52.4 x 29.2 cm). Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas, 1999.30.
Stele with Vishnu Trivikrama. Northeast India, Bengal or Bihar province. Pala period (ca. 750–1197), ca. 12th century. Chlorite. 31 x 14 x 6½ in. (78.7 x 35.6 x 16.5 cm). Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas, 1985.21.
Sculpted Arch with Incarnations of Vishnu. India, Rajasthan. Chola period (ca. 848–1251), 12th century. Black stone. 42 x 4½ x 35 in. (106.7 x 11.4 x 88.9 cm). Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas, 1983.8.
Stele with Varaha. North India. Pala period (c. 750–1197), ca. 11th century. Stone, probably phyllite or schist. 28 x 24 x 8½ in. (71.1 x 61 x 21.6 cm). Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas, 1982.52.
Lakshmi. South India. Chola period (ca. 848–1251), ca. 12th century. Bronze. 18½ x 5 x 6½ in. (47 x 12.7 x 16.51 cm). Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas, 1984.9.

This exhibition focuses on Vishnu, one of the most powerful and popular gods in the Hindu pantheon. Vishnu’s followers celebrate him as the Preserver and for his ability to restore the cosmic balance of the universe.

Vishnu can be recognized in Hindu art by the objects he carries. He has two favorite weapons: the chakra, which is depicted as either a razor-sharp discus or a spoked wheel, and the mace, which is a kind of club. He also carries a lotus flower or bud, and his conch shell, which he blows like a trumpet. Vishnu often flies down from heaven on Garuda, who is part-man, part-eagle, and he is sometimes accompanied by his female consort Lakshmi, goddess of fortune.

For worshippers of Vishnu, Vishnu is omnipresent and omnipotent; he has every form and no form. In order to save the world from peril, Vishnu descends to earth in a limited concrete body called an avatar. The different avatars are in fact Vishnu, but they represent specific aspects of the god. Avatars are Vishnu’s signature method of action; because of them, he is a god of many faces and personalities.

The artistic and visual representations of Vishnu change in style and appearance across time and place, and may look completely different depending on the context. Through a selection of works of art from the museum’s collection, we invite you to contemplate the multiple facets of this deity.