Elements of Hindu Iconography v1.c8.170

v1.c8.170

One or two ornaments are peculiar to Viṣṇu and they are the *śrīvatsa* and *vaijayanti*. We are aware that on the chest of Buddha there is the mark known as *śrīvatsa*; it is perhaps introduced here in the belief that Buddha is an incarnation of Viṣṇu. *Śrīvatsa* is a mark, a sort of mole, which is conceived to adorn the chest of Viṣṇu in association with the *kaustubhamani* which is a jewel. In sculpture this mole is represented by a flower of four petals arranged in the form of a rhombus, or by a simple equilateral triangle, and is invariably placed on the right side of the chest.