The haft is often tied with a leather sheet to provide a good grip.

It is one of the weapons of Shiva, Parashurama, and Durga and is still depicted on their idols throughout India.

The regional Hindu creation myth of Kerala is often attributed to the parashu of Parashurama.

According to tradition, Parashurama was offered boons by both Varuna and Bhudevi, the deities who personify the ocean and the earth, respectively.

He is stated to have travelled to Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of the Indian mainland, and thrown his axe northward, recovering a swathe of land from the ocean, which would become Kerala.