With the symbols of Lord Vishnu in his hands (a shank and the Sudarshana chakra) and his consort Goddess Laksmi in his lap, Lord Hayagreeva has been cast beautifully in this idol, his horse head encircled by a halo. Often worshipped as the god of wisdom, he is portrayed in his anthropomorphic form as having a white horse’s head and a human’s body. He is often praised by various rishis and ascetics. During the churning of the vast cosmic ocean of milk, the four Vedas—Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda—were stolen by two asuras (demons) called Madhu and Kaitabha. To rescue these important texts, Lord Vishnu took the form of Hayagreeva and slew the demons, severing them into twelve parts. He is one of the Dashavatara of Lord Vishnu, the maintainer of this universe. It is said that he also slayed the first demon king, whose name was also Hayagreeva, an ardent devotee of Goddess Parvati. His is the story that depicts the victory of knowledge and divinity over the dark powers that demons hold. His seat is that of a lotus. Here in this icon, it is upturned. He and Goddess Laksmi make a truly divine couple here, shining beautifully upon those who offer prayers to them.