Parashurama is the axe-wielding warrior avatar of Vishnu who fought corrupt kshatriyas. His name means “Rama with the axe,” distinguishing him from Rama of the Ramayana, and he is traditionally counted as Vishnu’s sixth avatar.
In the central legend, the powerful king Kartavirya Arjuna kills the sage Jamadagni after seizing the sage’s miraculous cow. Parashurama retaliates by killing the king and then waging war against kshatriya rulers accused of abusing their power. Epic and Puranic accounts say he destroyed the warrior class twenty-one times, though some lineages survived.
Parashurama is unusual among Vishnu’s avatars because he is a Brahmin by birth but a formidable warrior. He appears in both the Ramayana and Mahabharata traditions and is associated with martial instruction for figures including Bhishma, Drona, and Karna. Regional traditions in Kerala also credit him with reclaiming land from the sea by throwing his axe.