Mani stone

Mani stones outside the Tsuglagkhang Complex, near the14th Dalai Lama's home,McLeod Ganj,Dharamshala,India

Mani stonesare stone plates, rocks, or pebbles inscribed with the six-syllabledmantraofAvalokiteshvara(Om mani padme hum,hence the namemani stone) as a form ofprayerinTibetan Buddhism.The term mani stone may also be used to refer to stones on which any mantra or devotional designs (such asashtamangala) are inscribed or painted. Mani stones are intentionally placed along the roadsides and riversor grouped together to form mounds,cairns,or sometimes long walls, as an offering to spirits of place orgenius loci.Creating and carving mani stones as devotional or intentionalprocess artis a traditionalsadhanaof piety toyidam.Mani stones are a form of devotionalcintamani.

The preferred technique issunk relief,where an area around each letter is carved out, leaving the letters at the original surface level, now higher than the background. The stones are often painted in symbolic colours for each syllable (omwhite,magreen,niyellow,padlight blue,mered,humdark blue), which may be renewed when they are lost by weathering.

Mani walls

Along the paths of regions under the influence ofTibetan Buddhism,mani stones are often placed in long stacks along trails, forming mani walls.Buddhist custom dictates that these walls should be passed or circumvented from the left side,the clockwise direction in which the earth and the universe revolve, according toBuddhistdoctrine.

They are sometimes close to a temple orchorten,sometimes completely isolated and range from a few metres to a kilometre long and one to two metres high. They are built of rubble and sand and faced with mani stones engraved in the elegant Tibetan script.

Nepal

Mani stones inNepalshowing symbolic colouring of each syllable

The same type of mani stones can be seen in neighbouringNepal,where Buddhism is also widely practised. Large examples of mani stones resembling tablets carved out of the sides of rock formations are in locations throughout the Nepali areas of the Himalayas, such asNamche Bazar.Mani stone walls are most numerous in the high country of theKhumbu.ThemantraofAvalokiteshvarais also a common design onprayer wheelsandprayer flagsin Nepal.

Gallery

• 
  Mani wall in theLangtangValley, Route to Kyanzing Valley, Nepal.
• 
  Mani stones &prayer flags.Gandhola Monastery.Lahaul.
• 
  Mani wall along driveway toHemis Monastery
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  Mani stones inLadakh,India
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  Mani wall inZanskarsubdistrict, Ladakh
• 
  Huge mani stone in theSpiti Valley,India

See also

• Gsumge Mani Stone Castle
• Śarīra
• Stele of Sulaiman,1348 stele withOm mani padme huminscribed in six scripts
• Yongning Temple Stele,1413 stele withOm mani padme huminscribed in four scripts

External links

• World's largest Mani stone mound in Qinghai, China. Estimated over 2 billion stones
• Longest Mani stone wall in the world