Shesh Shaiya Vishnu Statue

One of the most remarkable sights inside the park: a 32-foot reclining statue of Lord Vishnu, carved in the 10th century from a single block of sandstone. Vishnu lies in Yog-Nidra — deep meditative sleep — on the coils of the serpent Shesh Nag, whose hood curves above his head. The Charan Ganga springs from the statue's feet and runs through the forest.

Shesh Shaiya is accessible to visitors and is one of the very few points inside Bandhavgarh where you are permitted to leave your vehicle. The setting is extraordinary: a large reclining figure in a jungle clearing, with sal trees and rocky hills above and the river passing below. Come in the morning when the light falls across the face of the statue.

things to do sight
A story
The Charan Ganga, the perennial river that flows from the feet of this 10th-century Vishnu statue, has never run dry in recorded memory. Known in ancient texts as the Vetravali Ganga, it sustains the water sources across the park — an appropriate enough miracle for a reclining god carved from a single block of sandstone.