Vintage Ritual Tibetan Buddhism Phurba Kila Dagger

Hand-cast ritual bronze Tibetan Buddhist Phurba (kila). A serene image of Shakyamuni Buddha crowns the handle, resting above nine wrathful heads of Mahakala, a principal protective deity. Three sculpted makara heads transition the lower handle into the blade, their open jaws emerging at the base of the dagger. Relief carvings of entwined nāgas (water deities) run along all three edges of the peg-like blade, symbolizing the binding and transformation of negative energies. The piece rests gracefully on a custom triangular stand.

The phurba (Sanskrit: kīla) is a sacred three-sided ritual dagger central to Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Bön, and Indian Vedic traditions. In Tibetan Vajrayana practice, practitioners use the phurba to dispel delusions that block enlightenment. The dagger symbolizes the destruction of the “three poisons”—ignorance, greed, and delusion—and physically embodies Vajrakīlaya, the Buddha who suppresses all worldly evil.

To awaken the phurba’s spiritual essence, practitioners drive its blade vertically into the earth, a grain vessel, or a decorative sheath. In Himalayan shamanic traditions, the dagger represents the axis mundi—the central axis connecting earth and spirit—mirroring the sacred World Tree.

Initiated practitioners wield the phurba to channel a fierce, stabilizing energy. Beyond its wrathful symbolism, carved wooden phurbas frequently aid in energy work and shamanic healing. Their blades often feature entwined nāgas (serpent deities) alongside traditional Tantric, Hindu, and Himalayan motifs.

One of a kind piece.

Dimensions: 7″ x 7″ x 23.75”

Vintage piece. Sell in used, pre-owned condition. Vintage and antique items by nature have variable amounts of wear, imperfections, signs of use, age and time. Perfectly imperfect. Condition shown as in pictures. Kindly contact us if you need more info. or detail pictures.