Anantasayanam — The Cosmic Repose

This panoramic work retells Anantasayanam — the moment between two cycles of creation, when Mahavishnu rests upon the coiled serpent Ananta on the milk ocean. 

 On the far left the five hoods of Ananta rise as a canopy, and Lord Brahma  rises from the navel of Lord Mahavishnu sitting on a full bloomed lotus and the mind-born sages with palms joined.  On the extreme right below stands    Lord Sree Krishna  and Lord Sree Rama and above them the Drishti, the  Garuda, the horse-faced attendants, bearded rishis and small princely figures, all leaning inward toward the Lord.  The right hand of Mahavishnu holding a koovalam leaf, rests above the Shivalinga representing Lord Shiva.                                                              

Below the entire scene, a band of lotus ponds, curling waves, fish, and leaves carries the eye across the painting's width, grounding the divine event in the living, breathing water of the world. Two sun-and-moon discs in the upper corners mark the passage of time that the Lord's rest suspends.