Sleeping Vishnu. Mug

The Budhanilkantha statue of the Hindu god Vishnu, located about 10 kilometers from Kathmandu at the base of the Shivapuri Hill, is the largest stone carving in all of Nepal. Carved from a single block of black basalt stone of unknown origin, the Budhanilkantha statue is 5 meters in length and it lies in a reclining position inside a recessed tank of water (the cosmic sea). Called the Sleeping Vishnu, or Jalakshayan Narayan, the statue depicts the deity reclining on the twisting coils of the cosmic serpent Shesha (the eternal, multi-headed king of the serpent deities known as Nagas, and also is the servant of Vishnu). Vishnu’s legs are crossed and the eleven heads of Shesha cradle his head. Vishnu’s four hands hold objects that are sy...