Indian Pair of Silver Vishnu’s Feet or Vishnupada

This elegant pair of feet (or representations of foot prints) are made of particularly high-grade silver. Each has been repoussed with anklets and the index toe of each has been repoussed with three rings.  The feet represent the deity Vishnu and as such are known as Vishnupada.  Such tantric representation of Vishnu’s feet were either worshipped as a stand-in for the deity himself or were offered as votive offerings. Probably they were commissioned for a private shrine.

The silver used is essentially pure which is typical of items made for Hindu puja or ritual use. Silver was seen as a ‘noble’ metal and it was appropriate for it to not contain impurities.

Much importance is attached to bare feet in ritual Hindu practice. It is a sign of humility and respect, and also submissiveness to the deity being worshipped. It is also a sign of respect to the earth upon which the person is walking. The foot is the part of the body that connects the person to the earth, which is considered the sacred mother of mankind and life more generally.

The pada-puja or the worship of the foot or feet, has a long tradition in India. The practice seems to have originated with Buddhism. The Buddha, before attaining Nirvana, forbade his followers from personal worship, so his followers introduced various symbols which represented him and which could become the subjects of their devotion. The representation of his footprint being one such symbol and now many if not most sites of Buddhist worship feature representations of his feet. Some hundreds of years later, perhaps around the fifth century AD, followers of Vishnu adopted representations of Vishnu’s feet (Vishnupada) as part of their rituals, most particularly in Rajasthan.

Jain-Neubauer (2000, p. 14) illustrates a silver plaque with a pair of Vishnupada attributed to 19th century Rajasthan.

The Vishnupada are in fine condition and have obvious age.