In the Hindu religion, Vamana (Sanskrit: "dwarf bodied-man") depicted in the form of a Brahmin dwarf, is the fifth avatar of Vishnu, the preserver god in the Hindu Trimurti. Vamana entered into creation as a response to the tyranny of Bali, great grandson of Hiranyakshipu, perpetual rival of Vishnu and the reigning king of the demons. By his acts of sacrifice, Bali became incredibly powerful, usurping Indra so as to attain rulership over the cosmos. Indra and the other gods begged Vishnu to come to their rescue, due to the fact that the demons were about to overrun the universe. Aditi, Indra's mother, asked that Vishnu be born of her for purposes of killing Bali. Vishnu complied, emerging from her womb as Vamana, a dwarf. Once he had reached boyhood, Vamana went to Bali and begged his charity. Shukra, the priest of the asuras, warned Bali that he was indeed dealing with an incarnation of Vishnu. Nonetheless, Bali agreed to give Vamana anything he wished to have, considering this visitation by an incarnation of Vishnu to be a great honour. Vamana requested that Bali reward him with a piece of land equal to three of his strides, upon which he could sit and meditate. Confident with the small size of Vamana's stride, Bali gladly rewarded him the condition of his request. Vamana promptly grew in size and easily covered the earth, the heavens and the midworld in two strides. There was no space left for the third stride, so Vamana placed his foot on the head of the demon king and pushed him into the nether regions, so he could serve as monarch there. Thus, the world was saved from the tyranny of the asuras.

Age: 11th Century.

Height: 43.5 cm on base.