Indian
Vajra
Vajra (वज्र)
Unbreakable as diamond and striking like lightning. It slew Vritra, the serpent of drought.
WeaponFirst recorded c. 1200 BCE
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Photograph: A tile from Ottoman Turkey of about 1560–70. On a deep blue ground it bears the cintamani pattern: three white orbs with red dots and rippling white stripes.
Focus the photograph, then use the arrow keys to pan and the plus and minus keys to zoom. The buttons at the lower left also move it. Press a numbered button on the photograph to zoom to that note.
3,000 × 2,155 PX3000×2155
ArchiveIndian · Treasure
Cintamani
Cintamani (चिन्तामणि)
A jewel that grants whatever one wishes.
- Owner
- Bodhisattvas such as Kshitigarbha and Cintamanicakra
- Maker
- Unknown
- First record
- Mahayana Buddhist sutras400
- Gallery
- Indian
Notes on the photograph 2
Story
Cintamani means "thought-jewel" in Sanskrit. Whoever held this jewel could obtain anything desired; it gave light in the dark, removed poison and cured disease.
In Buddhism it symbolizes the Buddha's teaching and the compassion of bodhisattvas. Kshitigarbha and Cintamanicakra hold it in their hands and grant the wishes of living beings.
The jewel that dragons clutch or chase in East Asian paintings is also the cintamani. It was believed that only a dragon who obtained it could rise to heaven.
The object in the photo
The photograph shows Tile with Cintamani Design(Turkey, ca. 1560–70), a real museum object that evokes the legendary artifact.
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