Vaman

Vamana, also known as Vamana or Trivikrama, is the fifth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu in many Vaishnavite traditions. The name Vamana means "the dwarf" in Sanskrit. In Puranic legends, Vamana appears as a Brahmin sage who engages in a confrontation with the demon-king Bali during Bali’s yajna (sacrificial rite).

The core story centers on Bali, a powerful king who had expanded his realm and challenged the gods. Bali is approached by a very short Brahmin who asks for three feet of land. Bali agrees, thinking the request modest. The Brahmin then grows to a cosmic size, a form known as Trivikrama, and takes two steps to measure the entire earth and the heavens. With no space left for the third step, Bali offers his own head. Vishnu, in the Vamana form, places his foot on Bali’s head and thus sends Bali to the underworld (Patala). In exchange for this subtraction of power, Bali is granted sovereignty over Patala and is said to visit his people on earth once a year in some traditions.

Vamana is considered one of Vishnu’s Dashavatara, the ten principal avatars of Vishnu, and is often depicted as a diminutive Brahmin with a begging bowl, or in the Trivikrama form, showing the two expansive strides across the cosmos. The myth is culturally significant in Kerala, where Onam commemorates the benevolent king Mahabali’s legend and his imagined return to Earth.