Vaikunta, the Palace of Lord Vishnu

Vishnu (Sanskrit pronunciation: [vu]; IAST: Viu) is a major male deity inHinduism, and the foundation of its Vaishnavism tradition. He is, along withBrahma and Shiva, a part of a Hindu trinity (Trimurti); however, ancient Hindu texts mention other trinities of gods or goddesses.

In Vaishnavism, Vishnu is identical to the formless metaphysical concept calledBrahman, the supreme, the Svayam Bhagavan, who takes various avatars as "the preserver, protector" whenever the world is threatened with evil, chaos and destructive forces.^[5] His avatars (incarnations) most notably includeKrishna in the Mahabharata and Rama in the Ramayana. He is also known asNarayana, Jagannatha, Vasudeva, Vithoba and Hari. He is included as one of the five equivalent deities in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta Tradition of Hinduism.

In Hindu inconography, Vishnu is usually depicted as having the dark or pale blue complexion and having four arms. He holds a padma(lotus flower) in his lower left hand, Kaumodaki gada (mace) in his lower right hand, Panchajanyashankha (conch) in his upper left hand and the Sudarshana Chakra (discus) in his upper right hand.

Source: Wikipedia