Questions Regarding the Word Mudra: A Preliminary Survey of Gestures on Indian Icons and their Designation

Fig. 14: Viṣṇu
c. 875
India: Tamil Nadu
Granite
63 ½ in (161.3 cm).

The Norton Simon Foundation.

Four-armed, the front right hand raised with palm forward. From my body of examples, this is the earliest, the most common, and the longest enduring of gestures on Indian iconic objects.