le naos +      A sculpture of an eight-armed dancing Mohini at
the Hoysaleswara Temple in Halebidu.   Mohini (Sanskrit:    ,
Mohinī), is the only female avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. She
is portrayed as a femme fatale, an enchantress, who maddens
lovers, sometimes leading them to their doom. Mohini is
introduced into the Hindu mythology in the narrative epic of the
Mahabharata. Here, she appears as a form of Vishnu, acquires the
pot of Amrita (an elixir of immortality) from thieving asuras
(demons), and gives it back to the devas (gods), helping them
retain their immortality. Many different legends tell of her
various exploits and marriages, including union with Shiva.
These tales relate, among other things, the birth of the god
Shasta and the destruction of Bhasmasura, the ash-demon.
Mohini’s main modus operandi is to trick or beguile those she
encounters. She is worshipped throughout Indian culture, but
mainly in Western India, where temples are devoted to her
depicted as Mahalasa, the consort of Khandoba