Buffalo Bone Phurba Dagger

This triple bladed dagger is known as a Kila in Sanskrit and a Phurba in Tibetan. These translate variously to stake, dagger or nail and the original non-ritual use of such an item is believed to be for tethering animals or tents to the ground. In Vedic rituals the item is used to pierce the earth in order to locate the head of a subterranean serpent which marks the suitability of a site for the construction of a holy edifice such as a stupa. It is a frequently used artifact in shamanistic, tantric and Vedic rituals across the Himalayan region and wider Buddhist diaspora. This phurba is made entirely from buffalo bone, a common material for high quality ritual items. Water buffalo is a major food source in Nepal and when one is slaughtered for food the entire animal is used. The three blades represent the cutting through of the three poisons of ignorance, greed and aggression. The top of the hilt of the phurba shows the wrathful deity Vajrakilaya, a personification of the piercing nature of the phurba itself. He is crowned with a headdress of skulls and a single horse's head symbolising the deity Hayagriva who represents the destruction of greed. The middle of the hilt is adorned with a skull atop an open-mouthed makara from which the three blades extrude. Snakes or nagas extend down the blade towards the ornately carved base. This is a unique item so we cannot supply more than one.

Specifications: 21cm high

Origin: Nepal