kurma is an avatar in the hindu religion. hindus believe that vishnu, an important god of hinduism, had several forms, or avatars, and the second important avatar is called the kurma avatar. in this avatar, vishnu took the form of a kurma to help the devtas and asuras to churn the kshira sagara, to gain amrita. this avatar took the mount mandaar on his back and helped the mount to churn the ocean. kurma is a sanskrit language word that means a tortoise. as a kurma, vishnu is the symbol of strength and stability.