Prayer Wheel Item Number: 2663/7 a-b from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Tibetan prayer wheel known as mani khorlo (མ་ཎི་འཁོར་ལོ།) of copper with brass bands, set with red and turquoise stones. Brass finial, brass ends on wooden handle, copper weight. Top (b) is removable, revealing yellow cloth over roll of paper.
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
- Collected before 1947
- Owned by Mary Noble before August 22, 2005
- Received from Mary Noble (Donor) on August 22, 2005
What
- Name
- Prayer Wheel
- Identification Number
- 2663/7 a-b
- Type of Item
- prayer wheel
- Material
- copper metal, brass metal, wood, stone, cotton fibre and paper
- Part A
- height 34.3 cm, diameter 9.6 cm
- Part B
- height 9.6 cm, width 5.0 cm
Who
- Culture
- Tibetan
- Previous Owner
- Mary Noble
- Received from
- Mary Noble (Donor)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Tibet
When
- Collection Date
- before 1947
- Ownership Date
- before August 22, 2005
- Acquisition Date
- on August 22, 2005
Other
- Item Classes
- metalwork
- Condition
- good
- Accession Number
- 2663/0007 a-b