Grey stone sculpture of crowned Vishnu seated with several arms, holding the two small defeated figures of Madhu and Kaitabha at either side; the whole carved slab and black display base are visible.
Kashmir, ca.800. LACMA identifies this sculpture as Vishnu vanquishing Madhu and Kaitabha. The two demons are shown together; the catalogue does not specify which side represents each named demon.
Overview
In Medhas’s account within the Markandeya Purana, Madhu and Kaitabha emerge from the root of Vishnu’s ear while the universe is an ocean and Vishnu sleeps on Shesha. They threaten Brahma, who invokes the goddess governing that sleep. When she withdraws, Vishnu wakes and fights both asuras for five thousand years.
Deluded by Mahamaya, the pair offer Vishnu a boon. He chooses their deaths; they stipulate a place not submerged in water, and he kills them with his discus. This witness treats their actions jointly, without supplying separate anatomies or individual powers.
Origins & earliest records
South Asian Hindu sacred narrative
Records & interpretation
Full relevant hosted Pargiter passages directly read; Medhas’s narration within the Markandeya Purana.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa
Canto 81; historical English edition date, not Sanskrit composition date.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Primary records and illustrations
The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, Pargiter translation
Devī-Māhātmya; hosted 1904 translation. Canto 81
Full relevant chapter narrative directly read on Wisdomlib; source-specific translation and narrator retained; no illustration claimed.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical primary religious-text translationPargiter, Markandeya Purana — canto 81Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical sculpture photographGrey stone sculpture of crowned Vishnu seated with several arms, holding the two small defeated figures of Madhu and Kaitabha at either side; the whole carved slab and black display base are visible.
Kashmir, ca.800. LACMA identifies this sculpture as Vishnu vanquishing Madhu and Kaitabha. The two demons are shown together; the catalogue does not specify which side represents each named demon.
