This Vigraha is a typical South Indian representation of Vishnu and his consorts Sri Devi and Bhu Devi.

Vishnu, the central figure,  is identified by his attributes, a Chakra (discus/wheel)  and Shankha (conch/Shell). Sri Devi, on Vishnu’s right, wears a breast band and holds a lotus in her left hand. Bhu Devi is identified by the Lilly in her right hand.

All three deities stand on their individual inverted Padmapeetha (Lotus base), and the deities, along with the base, slide into custom-designed slots in the Bhadhrapeetha. This form of construction is typical of the Karnataka region.

The deities are wearing the full set of ornaments.  All three deities are wearing stylised ankle-length lower garments.

The backplate, Prabhavali, is complete with a five-hooded snake and Kirtimukha. See the Chakra and Shankh on the Prabhavali, just above the vertical pillar. This depiction is typical of Vijayanagar style. They have taken care to decorate even the back of the Prabhavali.

This is a five-piece construction. The full set is about 16.5 cm high. This Vigraha is from Karnataka.

The crouching lions on which the Bhadrapeetha helps us to identify this as Vijayanagar or post-Vijayanagar vigraha.

There are several examples of the Vishnu Triad on this website. Why this one? When I received it, I was struck by its lightness. I almost thought it was sheet work, especially the Peetha and Prabhavali. Took a deep breath, sat down, and looked at it again.

The light weight is due to thin casting. Some of the edges of the Peetha are one mm, yes, 1 mm, or less in thickness. Incredible craftsmanship. These thin castings are sometimes referred to as ‘papad ganam’, meaning they weigh just as much as a papad (an Indian snack made of lentil dough and cooked/fried).