The Dashavatara (/ ˌ d ə ʃ ɑː v ˈ t ɑː r /; Sanskrit: दशावतार, daśāvatāra) is the ten primary avatars of Vishnu, a principal Hindu god. Vishnu is said to descend in the form of an avatar to restore cosmic order. The word Dashavatara derives from daśa, meaning ‘ten’, and avatar (avatāra), roughly equivalent to ‘incarnation’.