Vishnu had a long history as a god in India, but his cult developed significantly during the 4th and 5th centuries AD: texts were circulated which championed religious devotion and celebrated Vishnu’s incarnations, normally ten in number. Of these Krishna was and is the most celebrated.

In historical terms, Vishnu was the deity through which religious life in India moved from sacrificial ritual toward theism and devotion. This was achieved by mythic correspondences and legends which incorporated the old sacrifices into Vishnu’s incarnations. This allowed Vishnu’s followers to achieve the benefits of sacrifice without performing them – all that was needed was devotion to Vishnu as the supreme lord.

The early Gupta kings are known to have performed ancient sacrifices, particularly the royal consecration and the horse-sacrifice, rites which confirmed the monarch’s status as a paramount sovereign. From the late 4th century AD the Guptas then assumed the title paramabhagavata (‘the foremost devotee of the Bhagavat’, i.e. Vishnu). This allowed the Guptas to advertise their intimacy with the god who created and maintained the cosmos and who, because he was the living embodiment of sacrifice, confirmed the king’s legitimacy and power. This united the subjects of the Gupta realm into a single community of worship and, simultaneously, confirmed the royal family’s sacrosanct political role in this community.