 The Bhagavata Purana describes Vishnu's avatars as innumerable, though ten of his incarnations Dashavatara are celebrated therein as his major appearances.The ten major Vishnu avatars are mentioned in the Agni Purana, the Garuda Purana and the Bhagavata Purana;

The ten best known avatars of Vishnu are collectively known as the "Dasavatara" (a Sanskrit compound meaning "ten avatars").Five different lists are included in the Bhagavata Purana, where the difference is in the sequence of the names.