Vishnu, the Hindu God of Preservation, has twenty-four philosophical aspects or emanations (chaturvinshati-murtis) as described in several important iconographic texts, ranging from the late 3rd-century BCE devotional text, the Pancharatra (Five Nights), to the Rupamandana (Beautifying of Forms) compiled in the 15th century by Sutradhara Mandana, the renowned royal chief architect of Maharana Kumbha of Mewar (r. 1433-1468). The various forms have different names and are differentiated iconographically by the position of Vishnu’s standard attributes held in his four-armed (chaturbhuja) images starting in his upper right hand and proceeding in a circular manner to the upper left, lower left, and lower right. See T. A. Gopinatha Rao, "The Twenty-Four Images of Vishnu," Elements of Hindu Iconography, vol. 1, part 1; 2nd ed. (Varanasi: Indological Book House, 1971), pp. 227-244.
This representation accords with the identification in the Rupamandana of the emanation of Shridhara (Bearer of Fortune). The now-missing discus (cakra or Sudarshana) would have been held in his upper right hand, the mace (gada or Kaumodaki) in his upper left, the conch (shankha or Panchajanya) in his lower left, and the lotus (padma) in his lower right. Vishnu is crowned and wears a patterned dhoti and copious jewelry, including his long forest garland (vanamala) that hangs above his knees. He stands in a stiff, frontal pose (samapada sthanaka).
See also M.72.1.8 (Shridhara) and M.91.294.1 (Narayana).
