Metallic door frame, said to be of Vijayanagar period, with sculptures of Lord Vishnu's dashavatara found at Perdoor in

[Judi Lynn]

Metallic door frame, said to be of Vijayanagar period, with sculptures of Lord Vishnu’s dashavatara found at Perdoor in Udupi

Anantapadmanabha is a very famous god in the Bhagavata cult in the west coast of India
Updated - July 04, 2025 06:27 pm IST - MANGALURU

The Hindu Bureau



A metallic door frame believed to be of Vijayanagar period and having the sculptures of 10 incarnations (dashavatara) of Lord Vishnu was discovered in the Anantapadmanabha temple at Perdoor in Udupi district of Karnataka. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement of Karnataka. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

On July 4, T. Murugeshi, a retired Associate Professor in ancient history and archaeology, Mulki Sunder Ram Shetty College, Shirva, Udupi district said that Anantapadmanabha is a very famous god in the Bhagavata cult in the west coast of India.

The door frame is about 4.5 feet in height and 3.5 feet in width.

From the bottom of the right side of the door frame, Lord Hanuman is depicted standing offering a salute. Above him is a mythical animal vyali, and on top of it is mathsya (fish), the first incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Next above is seen Kurma as turtle, Varaha as pig, and Vamana avatar, he said.

At the centre of the door frame, Gajalakshmi is seated along with two elephants. Gajalakshmi is seen seated on a high platform in Abhaya and Varada mudra. The two elephants on either side are showering sacred water on her. The Sun and Moon are seen above the elephants.

On the left side top of the door frame is Parashurama. Below is Rama, and Kalingamardhana Krishna, Buddha standing in naked form, and last is Kalki.

After the 10 incarnations, Garuda is shown standing offering salutation, at the bottom of the left side.

Historical importance
Mr. Murugeshi, who is also the founder trustee of Adima Kala Trust (R.), Udupi, said that an epigraph located in the inner enclosure of the temple belongs to the reign of Krishnadevaraya, an emperor of Vijayanagar. He lavishly donated to the temple and appointed an officer Surappayya to look after the administration of the temple in 1,519 A.D. It was during his tenure that the whole temple was renovated in stone. The dashavatara door frame was probably made during the same period.

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[Tadpole Raisin]

1. You are outdoing yourself today Judi Lynn. Thank you!