Matsya is an avatar or incarnation of Hindu deity Vishnu. It is the first of ten avatars of Vishnu. Matsya is said to be the avatar that rescued the first man, as well as other creatures of the earth, from a great flood. Matsya is said to have forewarned man about the coming flood and ordered him to preserve all the grains and living creatures in a boat. This story is similar to many deluge myths found in other cultures. It is cognate with the Vedic and Puranic cosmogonic tale of Creation through the waters. The deluge symbolizes dissolution of universe (pralaya); while Matsya "allegorizes" the Creator-god (Brahma or Vishnu), who recreates the universe after the great destruction. This link to Creation may be associated with Matsya regarded as Vishnu's first avatar. Matsya is depicted as a great fish or as a four-armed man with the tail of a fish. The upper half resembles Vishnu and wears the traditional ornaments and the 'kirita-makuta' (tall conical crown) as worn by Vishnu. He holds in two of his hands the Sudarshana chakra (discus) and a 'shankha' (conch), the weapons of Vishnu. The other two hands make the gestures of 'varadamudra', which grants boons to the devotee, and 'abhayamudra', which reassures the devotee of protection.
