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 hand-colored lithograph from Calcutta, India, 1878–1883, Shiva Mahadev. Shiva, wearing a tiger skin, walks a mountain path with a trident on his shoulder.
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2,374 × 3,000 PX2374×3000
ArchiveIndian · Weapon
Trishula
Trishula (त्रिशूल)
Its three prongs govern creation, preservation and destruction, or past, present and future.
- Owner
- Shiva, god of destruction and renewal
- Maker
- Unknown
- First record
- Mahabharatac. 300 BCE
- Gallery
- Indian
Notes on the photograph 3
Story
Trishula means "three spikes" and is the object most representative of Shiva. He is shown with this trident driving away demons.
The three prongs are interpreted in many ways: as the three powers of creation, preservation and destruction, as the three times of past, present and future, or as the three qualities of the human mind.
The goddess Durga too killed the buffalo demon Mahishasura with a trident received from Shiva. Even today a trident often stands in front of Shiva temples in India.
The object in the photo
The photograph shows Shiva Mahadev(West Bengal, Calcutta, 1878–1883), a real museum object that evokes the legendary artifact.
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