In Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones recovers three Sankara Stones.
The stones are sacred objects connected with the Hindu god Shiva in the film’s fictional mythology. A Maharaja possesses one, while the Thuggee cult has taken the other stones and uses them in a plan to gain power. Indiana retrieves the stones after confronting the cult beneath Pankot Palace.
The Sankara Stones are a fictional adventure element rather than a documented historical set of relics. Their glowing appearance and supernatural power help establish the film’s darker, more fantastical tone. The number three is easy to confuse with the film’s larger themes of lost children, cult rituals, and the single stone initially carried by the young Maharaja.