Kurma
Kurma (Sanskrit: कूर्म; Kūrma, lit. turtle) is the second of the ten Avatars of Vishnu. Like other avatars of Vishnu, Kurma appears at a time of crisis to restore the cosmic equilibrium. Sage Durvasa had cursed the Devas to be mortal and fade away. The gods needed nectar of immortality (Amrita) to overcome this curse, and they make a pact with the Asuras to churn the cosmic ocean of milk, so as to extract the nectar, and once it skims out they would share it. Kurma, the creative problem solving Vishnu avatar in the form of a tortoise or turtle, appears to support as the foundation for the cosmos and the cosmic churning rod (Mount Mandara).
The Kurma legend appears in the Vedic texts, and a complete version is found in the Shatapatha Brahmana of the Yajurveda. His iconography is either a tortoise, or as half man-half tortoise. The temples dedicated to Kurma are found in Kurmai, Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, and Srikurmam, Srikakulam District , Andhra Pradesh. His iconography is found in many Vaishnava temple ceilings or wall reliefs.