The Story:

In the Treta Yug, the Devas (Gods) were defeated by the Asuras (Demons) after a long war, and the demon King Bali ascended the throne to become the Lord of Heaven and Earth. Bali, a brave and mighty warrior, was the great grandson of Hiranyakashipu and the grandson of Prahlaad (read: Narasimh avatar) and had traits of both his ancestors. He was proud and egoistic. But he also had deep knowledge of the Vedas, was respectful towards sages and was also a devotee of Lord Vishnu. As a King, he was known for his generosity and was loved by his subjects.

In a bid to gain more power, Bali started a (yagn) which worried Indra, the King of the Devas, who approached Lord Vishnu for help. Vishnu appeared at the yagn site in the form of his fifth avatar Vamana, a poor dwarf brahmin. He asked the King for alms which the King was duty-bound to grant. Bali asked Vamana what he wanted, and the brahmin requested three steps of land, which the King grants happily.

Suddenly, Vamana grows exponentially in size, and with one step covers the Earth and the Underworld, and with the other, the Sky and the Heavens. Thus, with two steps, all of Bali's Kingdom was covered. Vamana asks the King where he should place his third step.

Bali, realising that the Brahmin is an avatar of Lord Vishnu, bows down and asks Vamana to step on his head. He complies and pushes King Bali to pataal (the Underworld). Lord Vishnu was impressed by King Bali's virtue and offered to give him one boon. It is said that the King then asked for permission to visit Earth once every year to see how his subjects were doing. This legend forms the basis for the festival of Onam in Kerala.

At VR Chennai:

Depicting the moment when Mahabali offers his head to the Lord, this avatar is represented in the form of a mural. It is 5m (15ft) in height, hand-painted by artists of the Cholamandal Artists' Village and located along the pathway that connects Tamarai Sadukam towards Mini Theru.

Narasimha

Parashuram