By state: Tamil Nadu (10,656), Andhra Pradesh (5,006), Karnataka (4,795), Kerala (4,230), Maharashtra (3,538), Gujarat (2,818), Rajasthan (2,235), West Bengal (2,054), Madhya Pradesh (1,993), Telangana (1,927), Odisha (1,715), Bihar (1,579).
Vishnu is one of the principal deities of Hinduism and the supreme deity in most traditions of Vaishnavism. He is worshipped in many forms, especially as Narayana, Vasudeva, Hari, and through avatars such as Rama and Krishna. In popular summaries of the Trimurti, Vishnu is described as the preserver, alongside Brahma the creator and Shiva the destroyer. This formula is influential but incomplete: Vaishnava traditions generally understand Vishnu not merely as one member of a triad, but as the supreme reality responsible for creation, preservation, dissolution, and liberation.
Vishnu's mythology, theology, and worship developed over a long period. The Vedic deity Vishnu is celebrated for his three cosmic strides and his highest abode. Later Vedic, epic, Puranic, and regional traditions increasingly identified Vishnu with Narayana and Vasudeva-Krishna. These developments produced a diverse family of devotional traditions rather than a single uniform doctrine.
Vishnu is usually represented with four arms holding a conch, discus, mace, and lotus. He may stand or sit in royal posture, ride the eagle-like Garuda, or recline upon the cosmic serpent Ananta-Shesha. His principal consort is Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and auspiciousness. In South Indian temple traditions he is also frequently shown with Bhudevi, the personified Earth.
The Sanskrit name Vishnu is traditionally connected with a verbal root meaning "to pervade" or "to enter." Hindu commentators consequently interpret the name as referring to the divine presence that pervades the universe. The exact historical linguistics of the name are more complex and should not be reduced to a single uncontested derivation.