Prayer Wheel Item Number: N4.1 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Dark brown-black cylindrical Tibetan prayer wheel known as mani khorlo (མ་ཎི་འཁོར་ལོ།) of metal covered in repousse devotional prayer in Tibetan script; a small rounded finial is featured on the top, and a metal chain with a similar finial is attached to the side. Cylinder is mounted on short metal stick, about which it turns.
History Of Use
The handheld mani khorlo (མ་ཎི་འཁོར་ལོ།) or prayer wheel spins with the movement of the wrist, while the stone on the short chain sustains the momentum. The wrapped spindle is known as the “life tree.” In spinning the wheel, the practitioner reaps the same benefits of having read the countless prayers coiled inside, a useful means for illiterate Buddhists to attain merit. The wheel should be spun clockwise to coincide with the sun’s movement and the direction of the writing on the wheel to facilitate the release of the blessings into the world.
Cultural Context
Mani khorlo (མ་ཎི་འཁོར་ལོ།) or prayer wheels are ritual objects used in Tibetan Buddhist culture.
Item History
- Made in Tibet
- Owned by Union College
- Received from Union College (Donor) during 1960
What
- Name
- Prayer Wheel
- Identification Number
- N4.1
- Type of Item
- prayer wheel
- Material
- brass metal
- Manufacturing Technique
- repousse
- Overall
- height 22.0 cm, diameter 6.0 cm
Who
- Culture
- Tibetan
- Previous Owner
- Union College
- Received from
- Union College (Donor)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Tibet
When
- Acquisition Date
- during 1960
Other
- Item Classes
- metalwork
- Condition
- fair
- Accession Number
- 0018/0001