c. Late 18th - early 19th century

Souvenir Painting of the God Vishnu on the Cosmic Ocean (Anantashayana)

The god Vishnu rests atop Ananta, a multiheaded snake who floats on the cosmic ocean. Vishnu's wife, Lakshmi, attended by another goddess, massages his foot in a gesture of devotion. The scene is an icon of creation, for many devotees believe the entire universe as we know it emerged from the mind/body of Vishnu, and that the universe will exist for a time and then fade back into the god, only to be cyclically recreated. The name of the snake Ananta literally means "the endless one" and refers to this cycle of creation.