Gayasura | |
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Affiliation | Asura |
Texts | Puranas |
Region | Magadha |
Temple | Vishnupad Temple |
Genealogy | |
Parents |
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Vaishnavism |
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Gayasura (Sanskrit: गयासुर, romanized: Gayāsura) is an asura mentioned in Hindu texts like Bhagavata Purana and Vayu Purana who lived during the Treta Yuga. According to Hindu literature, he is regarded to have lived in the Magadha of present-day Bihar, India.[1]
According to legend, he was the son of Tripurasura and just like his father, was an ardent devotee of Narayana (one of the several names of the Hindu god Vishnu).[2] Various lores narrate different accounts of his death at the hands of Vishnu after he refused to heed the deity's commands to go beneath the surface of earth. The modern city of Gaya in the Indian state of Bihar derives its name from Gayasura whereas the Vishnupad Temple in the city is believed to be built upon the site where Vishnu had allegedly killed the asura or pinned him underground.[3]