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Tibetan prayer wheels ( Mani wheels) are devices for spreading spiritual blessings and well being.
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Tibetan prayer wheels or Mani wheels are used for spreading spiritual blessings and well -being. In the Tibetan Buddhist belief, spinning such a wheel will have much the same effect as orally reciting prayers.
Rolls of thin paper, imprinted with many copies of the mantra (prayer) used, printed in an
ancient Indian script (Sanskrit) or in Tibetan script, are wound around an axle in a protective container, and spun around and around. Typically, larger decorative versions of the syllables of the mantra are also carved on the outside cover of the wheel.
Gangtok is the capital and largest town of the Indian state of Sikkim. It is situated in the lower Himalayas and known for its clean surroundings and temperate climate. This hill station of about fifty thousand people is the centre of Sikkim's tourist industry. The Enchey Monastery in 1840 made it a pilgrimage center. It became a major stopover between Tibet and British India at the end of the 19th century. Following India's independence in 1947, Sikkim became a nation-state with Gangtok as its capital. In 1975 the monarchy was abrogated and Sikkim became India's twenty-second state, with Gangtok remaining as its capital. Gangtok is a centre of Tibetan Buddhist culture and learning with numerous monasteries and religious educational institutions.
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© imagesofasia 2007 |
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