Vamana

About Vamana

Vamana is Vishnu's fifth avatar — a short Brahmin boy carrying a wooden umbrella, a staff, a water pot, and wearing a deerskin. He arrived at King Bali's horse sacrifice and asked for just three paces of land. When Bali agreed, Vamana grew vast: one step covered the earth, the second the heavens, and the third pressed Bali down to Sutala, the netherworld. For his honesty, Bali was made its king and allowed to visit his people once a year — the origin of Kerala's Onam festival. His main shrine is Thrikkakara near Kochi. The Rig Veda already praises these three strides, calling him Urukrama, the wide-stepping one.