Vamana
Vishnu once appeared in the form of a dwarf. Bali, the grandson of Prahlada, was a mighty and powerful demon. Bali had managed to conquer the whole world with the help of his followers. The gods were afraid that he might conquer all three worlds, and therefore approached Vishnu for his help. Vishnu was then born into the family of a priest, as the dwarf Vamana.

When Vamana had grown up to a considerable age, he went around begging for alms, and came up Bali's household. Bali was happy to give to the dwarf anything he asked for, and finally, Vamana asked for all the land that came under his three feet. Looking at his small size, Bali readily agreed, but just as that happened, Vamana grew many times in size, covering the whole world in his stride. He then used his leg to step on Bali, killing him, and saving the world from the demons.

Parashurama
Vishnu once appeared in the form of a brave human warrior. The Kshatriyas were getting arrogant and they were starting to suppress the Brahmans. At this, Vishnu was born into a family of Brahmans as Parashurama. Jamadgni and Renuka were his parents, and he grew into a fine young man. Parashurama always carried around an axe which was given to him by Shiva, whom which he was a devotee of.

Kartavirya, a king, came to the house of Jamadgni while he was out, and stole Jamadgni's cow which gave an endless supply of milk. When Jamadgni came back and found out what had happened, he was so angry he went out and killed the king, and brought the cow back. The king's son sought out Jamadgni and killed him. Parashurama went to the palace and challenged the king's son to a fight, along with twenty-one other Kshatriyas, of which he won every one of them, avenging his father's death, and heralding the defeat of the Kshatriyas by the Brahmans.

Rama
Vishnu once took the form of the hero who became the main character in the epic, the Ramayana. The prince of Ayodhya, he faced many trials and tribulations. At one point, he was banished to a forest. His wife, Sita, was kidnapped by Ravana, a demon king. Finally, with help, he manages to rescue his wife, kill Ravana and return to his rightful place as the king of Ayodhya.

Krishna
Krishna was the eighth avatar of Vishnu, and was one of the main characters of the epic, the Mahabharata. He killed the bull-demon Arishta, the horse-demon Keshin, and Kamsa, the evil king of Mathura.

Buddha
One of Vishnu's Avatars was Buddha, the founder of the Buddhist religion. He was born as the crown prince of Kapilavastu, to his parents Suddhodana and Maya. His name was originally Siddhartha, and it meant "All Things Fulfilled". However, his mother soon died, and he was brought up by Maya's sister. Buddha grew up, full of sympathy for the death of the living.

When Buddha could not find the answers he was looking for from people, he decided to look for them himself. Thus, he left his wife and children, and set out to the deep forests where he led a life of isolation. After many years, he finally became enlightened, and proceeded to spread his teachings across the world.

Kalki
Kalki is the last and final avatar of Vishnu, the form he would take in the future. Kalki is a human and he rides a white horse, holding a blazing sword. At the end of the current era, he would punish all the evil people in the world, and destroy the whole world, to create a golden age again, as it has happened many times before.

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