The Sankara Stones were five stones given to Sankara by the Hindu god Shiva, along with the message that he should go forth and battle evil with them. One of these stones ended up in a small village called Mayapore located on the outskirts of India. It was found in the river many years ago, and revered by the people of Mayapore because it brought happiness and prosperity to the village. They called it Sivalinga. It had three notches on the side, representing the three levels of the universe according to their beliefs.
Sivalinga was taken from Mayapore by members of the evil Thuggee cult, under the command of Mola Ram, who also kidnapped Mayapore's children. Indiana Jones after surviving a plane crash, ended up at the village, and was sent to recover the stone at the behest of Mayapore's shaman, Marhan, and its chieftain. He found the stone and two others, brought to Pankot by Thuggee priest Mola Ram, located deep within Pankot Palace, where the Thuggee worshipped the goddess Kali, and forced the kidnapped children of Mayapore village to work in a mine to locate the last two stones.
The Sankara Stones had magical diamonds within them that glowed when they come into contact with each other, as well as three lines across their surface, each one representing a different level of the universe.
While escaping the mines with the three stones, two of the stones were lost to Jones over a large chasm when he was pursued by Mola Ram. They burned a hole through Jones' satchel and plummeted down into the crocodile-filled waters below. Sivalinga was recovered in time but instead of taking it for himself, Jones decided its home was in Mayapore, not a museum, and he returned it to Marhan. Little did he or the Thuggee know that the remaining two sat just a few feet away from an excavated area in the mine's wall.
Appearances
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (First appearance)
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom novel