Lord Narayana, the preserver of the Hindu pantheon, shown here with four arms holding a club, the discus, a lotus and a conch shell. Sculpted in soap stone by the national award winning artists from eastern India

Lord Vishnu, the Preserver and Protector Of the Hindu gods and goddesses, Lord Vishnu embodies goodness and mercy. He is represented seated on the serpent Shesha. Vishnu never sleeps and is the Hindu deity of Shanti, peace. He has four weapons or attributes: the conch, disc, club and lotus. In the cosmos, good and evil forces are balanced. When this balance is disrupted, Vishnu takes a human form to set it right. There are nine avatars or incarnations of Vishnu. These are Matsya (fish), Kurma (turtle), Varaha (boar), Narasingha (lion), Vamana (dwarf), Parasurama, Ram, Krishna, Buddha. Kalki is the future incarnation which is to come at the end of Kaliyuga.

Collectible figurines from India for religious and inspirational purposes. Statues and sculptures of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. All carvings are done in uniquely Indian style in brass. Brass is any alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties. Brass is a substitutional alloy. Brass has a muted yellow color, somewhat similar to gold. It is relatively resistant to tarnishing, and is often used as decoration and for coins. The craft is practiced by the people of the Kansari caste who can be broadly described as metalsmiths while a particular variety, dhokra, is practiced mainly by sithulias and hand carved by some of the finest sculpture artists of India. The largest concentration of the former is Kantilo and Balakati in Puri district although fairly substantial numbers are found in Cuttack, Ganjam and Sambalpur districts.