Caturvyūha

[9][10] They are probably similar the legendary Vrishni heroes of the Mathura region, minus Samba (son of Vasudeva by Jambavati).

[13] By the 2nd century CE, the "avatara concept was in its infancy", and the depiction of Vishnu with his four emanations (the Chatur-vyūha), consisting in the Vrishni heroes minus Samba, starts to become visible in art at the end of the Kushan period.

[4] Starting with the art of Mathura, Vāsudeva (avatar of Vishnu) fittingly appears in the center of the sculptural compositions, with his decorated heavy mace on the side and a conch shell in the hand, his elder brother Balarama to his right under a serpent hood and holding a drinking cup, his son Pradyumna to his left, and his grandson Aniruddha on top.

[2] An ancient statue from Bhita near Allahabad (25°18′29″N 81°47′38″E / 25.308°N 81.794°E / 25.308; 81.794), with four figures facing in four directions, now in the Lucknow Museum, has been proposed to represent the Caturvyuha concept,[14] although interpretations vary.

[14] The figure on the reverse is devoid of ornamentation, the hair is parted in the middle and falls loosely, but both arms are broken, making it impossible to identify their attributes.

The Bhita statue in the Lucknow Museum , with four characters standing around a central axis, has also been proposed as a Caturvyuha ,. [ 14 ] Vasudeva is standing at the front, and the seated lion, symbol of Samkarsana , is visible on the left.