page_title: Vajra
hierarchical_section_title: Vajra
caption_attribution_description: English: "Painting of Indra on his elephant mount, Airavata. Painted in South India (probably Thanjavur or perhaps Tiruchchirapalli) Indra is depicted red-skinned and covered in his all-seeing eyes. In his two right hands he carries weapons - a sword and a thunderbolt. In front, an attendant walks with a spear. Behind walks another attendant carrying a large parasol which shades the king of the gods. On laid and water-marked European paper with 'W Thomas'. Elsewhere in the series the date 1816 appears in the watermark."
context_page_description: A vajra is a ritual weapon symbolizing the properties of a diamond and a thunderbolt and is the Sanskrit word having both meanings.
  The vajra is a type of club with a ribbed spherical head. The ribs may meet in a ball-shaped top, or they may be separate and end in sharp points with which to stab. The vajra is the weapon of the Indian Vedic rain and thunder-deity Indra, and is used symbolically by the dharma traditions of Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism, often to represent firmness of spirit and spiritual power.
  According to the Indian mythology, vajra is considered as one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. The use of the vajra as a symbolic and ritual tool spread from the Hindu religion to other religions in India and other parts of Asia.
context_section_description: A vajra (or dorje in Tibetan) is a ritual weapon symbolizing the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force) and is the Sanskrit word having both meanings.
  The vajra is a type of club with a ribbed spherical head. The ribs may meet in a ball-shaped top, or they may be separate and end in sharp points with which to stab. The vajra is the weapon of the Indian Vedic rain and thunder-deity Indra, and is used symbolically by the dharma traditions of Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism, often to represent firmness of spirit and spiritual power. 
  According to the Indian mythology, vajra is considered as one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. The use of the vajra as a symbolic and ritual tool spread from the Hindu religion to other religions in India and other parts of Asia.
caption: Hindu god Indra riding on Airavata carrying a vajra. This weapon is made of the bones of Maharshi Dadhichi according to Hindu mythology.[a]
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