Prayer Wheel Item Number: 1431/4 a-f from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Tibetan prayer wheels are called mani khorlo (མ་ཎི་འཁོར་ལོ།). Part a: cylinder, part b: lid, part c: handle (wood), part d: base cap for handle (metal), part e: top cap for handle (metal), part f: post with pointed end. The first piece is a plain wood cylinder with a metal bottom and has a brown rope with a ball at the other end attached through a metal loop (part a). The second piece is the flat circular lid (part b). The third piece is the wood handle (part c). The fourth piece is the metal base cap (part d) for the handle. The fifth piece is the wood top cap (part e) for the handle. Inside the cylinder (part a) there is a small rolled scroll.

History Of Use

The handheld mani khorlo (མ་ཎི་འཁོར་ལོ།) or prayer wheel spins with the movement of the wrist, while the knot on the short string 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

What

Name
Prayer Wheel
Identification Number
1431/4 a-f
Type of Item
prayer wheel
Material
metal, wood and fibre
Overall
height 25.0 cm, diameter 7.5 cm

Who

Culture
Himalayas
Previous Owner
Moira Irvine
Received from
Moira Irvine (Donor)

Where

Holding Institution
MOA: University of British Columbia
Made in
Nepal and Tibet

When

Ownership Date
before October 9, 1990
Acquisition Date
on October 9, 1990

Other

Item Classes
metalwork
Condition
fair
Accession Number
1431/0004 a-f