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Himalayan Cultural Crafts If you would like easy-to-read copies of the product descriptions, click on Info Clips. Prices are retail (keystone). Nickel and Brass Pendants and Malas are at the bottom of this page. New items at the bottom! Some of the items that you see here are available by Special Order Only. In other words, the stock has been highly variable, so that some items must be custom ordered from Nepal and might not be in our current stock. Please contact us to determine which items are immediately available and which items would be specially made for you in Nepal. |
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Bell and Dorje The bell representing the female aspect of sentient beings symbolizes wisdom. It is held in the left hand. The dorje or vajra, the thunderbolt, destroys all kinds of ignorance and represents the male principal. It is held in the right hand. The bell and dorje are always used together in ritual ceremonies and the two together are believed to lead to enlightenment. Large: $60, Medium: $40, Small: $30 |
Singing Bowl Created in the monasteries of Tibet and Nepal, the singing bowls are individually spun and hammered from a combination of 7 metals (bell metal). Each bowl produces a unique harmony when it is played by dragging a wooden dowel around the outside rim or when it is struck with the heel of the hand. It is believed that these harmonies are the vibrations of prayers and praises to deities, which are chanted as the bowls are created. $0.24 per gram (stick is free with bowl; $3.50 separately) |
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Tingshas Tingshas are
struck one against another to clear away negative spiritual energy before
a Buddhist or Hindu ceremony. They are tinkled gently by Buddhists to help
them create a balanced or centered state, or to fix a moment in one's memory.
Hindus clash tingshas together loudly summoning a deity to worship. They
are made of bell metal. Ask if you are interested in special large decorative
tingshas. 2 inch tingshas
$20 |
Terra Cotta Dragon
The terra cotta dragon is handcrafted in Bhaktapur, the most mediaeval town of the Kathmandu Valley. The craftsman, Ramesh Pradhan, the artist, comes from a long lineage of potters dating from the 1400's who live in an artists colony near the Durbar Square. This dragon, a symbol of happiness, has holes along his tail in which one can insert incense.
$5 |
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Gift Pouches If you were to buy jewelry in Kathmandu, you would likely receive your purchase in a cotton or silk drawstring pouch similar to these. They are made by Tibetan seamstresses, usually on Chinese or Indian material made of a mix of silk and synthetic fibers.
Small: $1.50, Medium: $3, Large with shoulder strap: $6 |
Coin Bottles Coin bottles were created when Tibetans who fled the Chinese to seek refuge in other countries found themselves with worthless Tibetan coins. They used their coins to make these charming eyeliner bottles and sold them in exchange for the more useful currency of their host county. Today, there are no new Tibetan coins so these bottles are made of Bhutanese coins. In Western countries the bottles are often used as pendants that can contain thick wax perfumes (not oils) It is rumored that when a wish is blown into the bottle and corked quickly enough, the wish will come true.
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Tibetan Prayer Wheels For over 1,000 years, Tibetan monks and Buddhist devotees have used prayer wheels. As the wheel is rotated clockwise (looking at it from the top down) prayers written in Sanskrit are believed to be along with the thoughts and prayers of the person turning the wheel. This practice, which is very much alive in Tibet and Nepal today, is intended to keep one's mind centered so as to focus on the desired result. The most common prayer written on the prayer wheel is Om ma ni pad me hum. Large: $60, Medium:
$30, Small $25 Different styles |
Tibetan Prayer Wheel and
Incense Burner |
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Gao These often elaborately decorated portable shrines, historically may have contained nail clippings from the Dahlia Lama or a piece of robe, scrap of food, or hair from a high ranking lama's head. Today they are likely to hold Buddhist relics and mantras (prayers written on paper). Though they are usually worn as a protective pendant, they may be seen worn in the topknot of an aristocrat to assure divine intervention in decision making. See "Pendants" for an assortment of gaos. |
Large
Hand Door Handle Kathmandu is immersed in art.
Gilded buildings, down spouts with gargoyle faces, carved windows and doors
and dragon and hand door handles can be found throughout Nepal's cities and
villages. We carry both large and small brass hand door handles as well as
brass and wooden dragon door handles. Please ask us if you would like to
see more.
Hand Door Handles Large $120
Small $60
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Phurba The enchanted dagger or magic dart is used in the ritual slaying of evil or foe. Used by Tibetan lamaist magicians, these ornate daggers are made of bronze, iron, wood, or ivory. A true initiate of Tibetan secret lore would believe that the power of the weapon does not depend on the substance of which it is carved, but on what is communicated to it by the sorcerer who uses it. As time goes on, a portion or this energy remains. The phurba's strength increases as it becomes possessed with spiritual energy. Iron phurba: $30 out
of stock |
Prayer Stones Carved by pilgrims on journeys back to Buddha's homeland and important Tibetan Buddhist Stupas, these white or gray river stones usually are inscribed with Sanskrit letters 'OM MA NE PAD ME HUM,' a prayer for long life and good fortune. Other symbols inscribed on these stones may include the Compassionate Eyes of Buddha, his hands or feet, or a dragon, a symbol of happiness. As in the examples above, the prayer is carved on one side and the other icon is carved on the opposite side of the stone. Out of stock |
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| Crawling Ganesh $60 |
Manjusri |
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We carry several statues, including full sets of the five positions of Buddha with gold painted faces for $250. They are 8.5 cm high. We do sell them individually and are able to get statues in different positions with our without gold. Green Tara $120 Manjusri Gold Face and gold sword $350 Milrepa $95 |
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| 007
Protection Buddha Gao, 4 cm, nickel and glass $8 |
008
Yin Yang, 4 cm, nickel and bone Out of Stock |
009
Lotus, 4 cm, nickel and glass Out of Stock |
010
Dorje Mandala, 4 cm, nickel and glass $10 |
011
Dorje Gao, 4 cm, Nickel and glass $10 |
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| 012
Dorje, 4 cm, nickel and glass $10 |
013
Cross, 4 cm, nickel and glass $10 |
015
Flower, 3 cm, nickel and glass $12 |
016
Manjushri, 5 cm Out of Stock |
017
Yin Yang Bottle, 6 cm nickel glass and bone Out of Stock |
