Brass Kurma Tortoise with Deities and Meru

Shaped like a tortoise (Kurma) — the second avatar of Lord Vishnu.

The shell of the tortoise is carved with divine Hindu deities — most likely gods and goddesses from the Dashavatara, or associated with Samudra Manthan (cosmic ocean churning).

At the center of the shell is a Meru-like structure (step pyramid), representing Mount Meru, the sacred cosmic mountain in Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist cosmology.