This rare sculpture of Shiva Vamana dates back to 5 CE. It belonged to the Vakataka period and originated in Mansar, Nagpur, Maharashtra. It is 85cm in height, 63 cm in width and 38 cm in depth. It is currently on display at the National Museum, New Delhi.

The Vakatakas were powerful rulers who had made alliances with the Bhairavas and the Guptas via bonds of matrimony. The Vakatakas were first mentioned in the inscriptions at Amravati from the 2nd century onwards. The Vakataka ruler Pravarasena is believed to have been a patron of art and beauty in all its forms alongside being highly literate.

This atypical sculpture of Shiva (also called Siva) in the form of Vamana is made of red sandstone. Vamana means dwarf. This sculpture shows Shiva as a dwarf on a comfortable cushioned seat against a large accessorized pillow. He has four arms, a heavy face and a pot belly. He is also shown holding flowers in his lower right hand and a rosary in the upper right hand. He has the stalk of a lotus in the upper left hand (which now appears to be broken or lost) whereas his lower left-hand rests on his knee. His crown made of hair, called the Jatamukuta, is heavily adorned with flowers, jewels and a crescent-shaped moon. He is wearing an ornament in the right ear and a circular kundala in the left ear. With a jewelled necklace, there is shown a massive strand of twisted pearls across his body which here is a replacement for a sacred thread (which is called yajnopavita or a Janeyu). A bracelet and a snake-like anklet are seen on his left foot. He has a noticeably protruding belly, thick limbs, a very thick and wide nose and thick lips. He is seen draped in a dhoti. His facial expressions indicate his joyful mood.

The Vamana Purana, a medieval Sanskrit text, is one of the eighteen major Puranas of Hinduism. The text is named after one of the incarnations of Vishnu however the modern surviving manuscripts superimposed the same story with Shiva as the protagonist. The Vamana avatar has roots in the hymns of the Rigveda where Vishnu is described as a benevolent God who defined all there is in the universe in three steps. The giant form of Vamana is also known as Trivikrama which translates to "three steps".

The legend of Vamana inspired the celebration of the harvest festival, Onam. In one version of the legend of Vamana, the local ruler, Mahabali’s offering of his head to the Vamana is believed to be an act of Mahabali’s devotion due to which Vishnu granted him a boon where he would be allowed to revisit the lands and people he previously ruled over. The festival of Onam is celebrated annually in Kerala in order to commemorate King Mahabali whose spirit is believed to visit Kerala at the time of Onam.

According to Hindu mythology, the noble demon king Mahabali conducts a ceremony in which he distributes gifts to display his grandeur and power. Vishnu appears at this ceremony as a dwarf Brahmin named Vamana. When it's his turn to receive a gift, Mahabali offers him to take whichever precious items or gifts he would like to have but Vamana refuses this offer and states that he would simply like to have land equal to the size of his three steps. Mahabali finds this request pretty amusing and grants it. Vamana then grows into a giant. He covers the whole earth with his first step, heaven with the second step and for the third step. Mahabali, who by now has realized that its Vishnu, offers his head on which Vamana steps sending the demon king to the netherworld called Patala.