Overview
Vamana (Sanskrit: वामन, IAST: Vāmana, lit. 'Dwarf') is an avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu. In traditional enumerations, he is regarded as the fifth avatar of Vishnu and the first among the Dashavatara to appear in the Treta Yuga, following Narasimha. He is also known by several epithets, including Trivikrama ('three steps'), Urukrama ('far-stepping'), Upendra ('Indra's younger brother' or 'superior to Indra'), Dadhivamana ('milk-dwarf'), Ulagalanthan ('the one who measured the world') and Balibandhana ('binder of Bali').
Vamana is first mentioned in the Vedas. In the Hindu epics and Puranas, he is most commonly associated with the narrative of recovering the three worlds, collectively known as the Trailokya, from the daitya king Mahabali. According to this tradition, Vamana approaches Mahabali and requests land measured by three of his steps. On being granted this boon, he expands cosmically and traverses the worlds in his strides, restoring the cosmic order and consigning Mahabali to the netherworld.
Within the genealogical accounts of the Puranas, Vamana is described as the youngest among the adityas, the sons of the goddess Aditi and the sage Kashyapa. The epithet Upendra reflects his relationship with Indra in this lineage. The epithets Trivikrama and Ulagalanthan, meanwhile, refer specifically to the act of measuring the worlds in three steps, a motif that is central to his iconography and worship in various Hindu traditions.