Vishnu Trivikrama

Cave 2, Badami

Vishnu saves the world from Bali. Several episodes of the story, as it unfolds in time, are shown at once (continuous narrative): First, at the bottom of the main panel, Vishnu disguised as Vamana visits Bali underneath a royal umbrella; the demon king and his court are shown standing to the right of the dwarf. Second, in the main action of the panel, Vishnu takes his giant step and in the process defeats Bali, who is shown upside down just below Vishnu's outstretched foot. Finally, photo left, Bali admits defeat and clings to Vishnu's standing leg in submission. The whole composition is supported on a prominent frieze of dwarf musicians. A closeup of the right side of the relief is shown on the next page.