Home›Sacred Objects, Dress & Symbols›Sacred Art & Iconography›Dasavatara Shrine (National Museum, New Delhi)Sacred Art & IconographyDasavatara Shrine (National Museum, New Delhi)artworkCitation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextDivinity Atlas. "Dasavatara Shrine (National Museum, New Delhi)." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.divinityatlas.com/sacred-art-iconography/dasavatara-shrine-national-museum-new-delhi.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextDivinity Atlas. (n.d.). Dasavatara Shrine (National Museum, New Delhi). Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://www.divinityatlas.com/sacred-art-iconography/dasavatara-shrine-national-museum-new-delhiCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{divinityatlas-dasavatara-shrine-national-museum-new-de, author = {Divinity Atlas}, title = {Dasavatara Shrine (National Museum, New Delhi)}, year = {2026}, url = {https://www.divinityatlas.com/sacred-art-iconography/dasavatara-shrine-national-museum-new-delhi}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXScriptural and Theological TraditionVerifiedA miniature Hindu shrine carved in ivory and wood in the late eighteenth century CE in South India, in the signature style of the Mysore school of ivory carving, decorated with black paint. Ten images of the avatars of Vishnu stand on a painted stepped sandalwood base, one avatar to the first step (Matsya, the fish), two to the second (Kurma the tortoise and Varaha the boar), three to the third (Narasimha the man-lion, Vamana the dwarf, and Parashurama), and four to the fourth and highest step (Rama, Balarama, Krishna and Kalki). It is held by the National Museum, New Delhi.FactsCross-Tradition ConnectionsSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)FactsCustodyCurrent LocationWell-attestedSourced to the subject's own accountNational Museum, New Delhi 2Current CustodianWell-attestedSourced to the subject's own accountNational Museum, New Delhi (Ministry of Culture, Government of India) 2Subject MatterDepicted SubjectWell-attestedSourced to the subject's own accountThe ten avatars of Vishnu: Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Balarama, Krishna and Kalki, arranged across four steps. 1AttributionsTraditionWell-attestedSourced to the subject's own accountHinduism 1Physical FormMediumWell-attestedSourced to the subject's own accountIvory and wood, painted 1OriginsCreationWell-attestedSourced to the subject's own account1700 to 1799 1CountryWell-attestedSourced to the subject's own accountIndia 1Cross-Tradition ConnectionsAssociated WithDelhi, Cities Well-attested This source names Delhi directly: "It is held by the National Museum, New Delhi."Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)tier 3Kalki, Figures Well-attested This source names Kalki directly: "step (Rama, Balarama, Krishna and Kalki)."Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)tier 3Narasimha, Figures Well-attested This source names Narasimha directly: "Varaha the boar), three to the third (Narasimha the man-lion, Vamana the dwarf, and Parashurama), and four to the fourth and highest step (Rama, Balarama, Krishna and Kalki)."Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)tier 3Varaha, Deities Well-attested This source names Varaha directly: "to the second (Kurma the tortoise and Varaha the boar), three to the third (Narasimha the man-lion, Vamana the dwarf, and Parashurama), and four to the fourth and highest step (Rama, Balarama..."Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)tier 3DepictsBalarama, Deities Well-attested Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)tier 3Kalki, Deities Well-attested Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)tier 3Kurma, Deities Well-attested Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)tier 3Matsya, Deities Well-attested Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)tier 3Narasimha, Deities Well-attested Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)tier 3Parashurama, Deities Well-attested Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)tier 3Vamana, Deities Well-attested Source Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)tier 3Sources1. Dasavatara Shrine (Wikipedia, Citing the National Museum, New Delhi and Roshen Dalal's Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide)tier 3Wikipedia, citing Roshen Dalal, Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide (Penguin, 2014) and the National Museum, New DelhiView the Source2. National Museum, New Delhi (institutional record)tier 2National Museum, New Delhi (Ministry of Culture, Government of India)the holders' own accountView the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearChoose a year to see this entry's facts and connections as the atlas records them at that moment: what it held then, what it held instead, and what it had not yet adopted. Choose Present for the current record.YearPresent1700Show This Year