He is the most serene and compassionate of the devas, which
applies to each of the avatars (bodily manifestations) He distills Himself
into in order to descend to shloka (earthly realm). From Narasimha and
Parshurama to Krishna and Rama, what is common to each of His avatars is the
dusky blue skin and the role of savior for us mortals.
This the murti of the Lord has been cast in bronze. India's bronze sculptural tradition dates back to the Pallava rule in the third century, when it started to produce icons for the magnificent temples of the South. With the later patronage of the Chola dynasty rulers, the skill to work with bronze truly flourished. Today, South India is the home of bronze, this one having been handpicked from Swamimalai.
