The Vishnu figure of Budhanilkantha is a 4.5 metre long, intricately carved figure depicting Vishnu sleeping on the ground of the cosmic ocean, on a 'bed' of intertwining snake bodies, which are all part of the eleven-headed giant snake Ananta, 'The Endless One'.

The figure probably originated in the 7th century and is hewn out of a single piece of rock. According to legend, Budhanilkantha was discovered by a farmer while ploughing his field