Avatar (Sanskrit: अवतार, avatāra; pronounced [ɐʋɐtaːrɐ]), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means “descent”

It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a deity on Earth

The relative verb to “alight, to make one’s appearance” is sometimes used to refer to any guru or revered human being

The word avatara does not appear in the Vedic literature; however, it appears in developed forms in post-Vedic literature, and as a noun particularly in the Puranic literature after the 6th century CE

Despite that, the concept of an avatara is compatible with the content of the Vedic literature like the Upanishads as it is symbolic imagery of the Saguna Brahman concept in the philosophy of Hinduism

The Rigveda describes Indra as endowed with a mysterious power of assuming any form at will

The Bhagavad Gita expounds the doctrine of Avatara but with terms other than avatar

Theologically, the term is most often associated with the Hindu god Vishnu, though the idea has been applied to other deities

Varying lists of avataras of Vishnu appear in Hindu scriptures, including the ten Dashavatara of the Garuda Purana and the twenty-two avataras in the Bhagavata Purana, though the latter adds that the incarnations of Vishnu are innumerable

The avataras of Vishnu are important in Vaishnavism theology

In the goddess-based Shaktism tradition of Hinduism, avataras of the Devi in different appearances such as Tripura Sundari, Durga and Kali are commonly found

While avataras of other deities such as Ganesha and Shiva are also mentioned in medieval Hindu texts, this is minor and occasional

The incarnation doctrine is one of the important differences between Vaishnavism and Shaivism traditions of Hinduism

Incarnation concepts that are in some aspects similar to avatara are also found in Buddhism, Christianity, and other religions

The scriptures of Sikhism include the names of numerous Hindu gods and goddesses, but it rejected the doctrine of savior incarnation and endorsed the view of Hindu Bhakti movement saints such as Namdev, that formless eternal god is within the human heart, and man is his own savior