Vishnu+Research

Site #1: "Vishnu as Para Vasudeva-Narayana [India] (1991.301)". In //Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History//. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000-. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/06/ssn/ho_1991.301.htm (October 2006) 8/9/2009. Thing we learned from the site:
 * Figures with a human head, with a boar's head to the right, and a lion's to the left, have been important to art and religious beliefs of Krishna.
 * There is a third eye on the human forehead, and a conch in the left hand. The small attendant on the left is Chakrapurusha, personification of war discussions, and there was once an attendant on the right, Gadadevi, the female personification of Vishnu's battle mace.
 * This statue is traditionally thought to be a representation of Hindu god Vishnu, but some indications lead to the possible representation of a god of a different religion, Vaishnavism.
 * The lion's and boar's head, are two incarnation symbols of Vishnu's iconography.

Site #2: "Vishnu." //World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras//. ABC-CLIO, 2009. Web. 9 Sep. 2009. .
I found this site through the MICDS Library Database. Things we learned from the site:
 * Vishnu, the Preserver and Restorer, is one of the three most important gods of Hinduism, to create the Supreme Being. Shiva, the Destroyer, and Brahma, the Creator, are the other two.
 * According to Hindu thought, Vishnu comes from his slumber when the world is in great danger, taking form of his many incarnations.
 * Many images of Vishnu show him either riding the Garuda Bird, or resting on the sea serpent Shesha, which symbolizes the earth. So Vishnu on top of the sea serpent Shesha symbolizes his preserving the earth.
 * He probably first appeared in the Vedic Age, as a minor sun god, before attaining the role of oldest and most powerful god.
 * Today, he is believed to straddle between rest, and cosmic protector.

Site #3: "“Vishnu”. SatanSociety.org. Date of Posting N/A. 9/9/09. [] * Overview of Website · We found this website by googling it and it was the third on down and it loked very official because they have donors from everywhere and they buy some of the old paintings of gods they have on their website and they copyright their info. · On the website they tell of the legendary ten incarnations of Vishnu and each has a painting of Vishnu in each of the Stages ·  Next to each picture the was a description that described the importance of the incarnation * Things We Learned From the Website ·  Vishnu had 4 weapons (one in each hand) a conch, a disc, a club, and a lotus flower ·  Vishnu also carried a sword and bow but they were not carried in one of his 4 hands · Each of Vishnu’s incarnations help him preserve the realm of the gods and the earth some of his forms such as the boar, lion, and a ram were to kill demon kings and retake the realm of the gods · To escaped the demon infested realm he had to incarnate into a dwarf to escape and then returned as a Parasurama and killed the demon king who had taken control and the demon king had stolen the holy cow (veneration) · In his final two incarnations he became a Buddha and then Krishna · Attaining peace within himself and preserving the earth Vishnu is seen meditating on his chair of the earth which is surrounded by trees wind and the ocean