In Tibet, it’s easy to see many altars piled by stones and flagstones at the hills, crossing roads, lakesides, and riverbanks. The altar was called the Mani stone mound which was made of Mani Stones. Most Mani Stones are engraved with six-word Dharani, mantras, eyes (in Buddhism, it means a mental perception), statues of gods, auspicious patterns, etc. They are masterpieces of Tibetan folk art.
The Origin of Mani Stone
“Mani” comes from the Sanskrit sutra “six-word Dharani” (Om Mani Padme Hum). Because of the stone engraved with “mani”, people call it “Mani Stone” for short. Many people would think the Mani Stone is a derivative of Tibetan Buddhism, but that is not completely correct.
After Buddhism was spread into Tibet, in order to intergrade with the Bon religion, it also inherited the old customs and traditions of building stone mounds to worship the mountain god. Just something has been changed in expressions and content. Mani Stone is then carved with Buddhist symbols and patterns such as mantras, scriptures, Buddha images, and various Buddhist symbols. Combined with the local region Bon, Buddhism updated to Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet.
With a great depth of aesthetic factors and characteristics, Mani Stone has become a unique Tibetan carving art. Devout Tibetan pilgrims believe as long as they engrave the six-word Dharani on the stones and chant the words day and night, those stones will be enabled supernatural spirits and bring them good luck and happiness. As people continually engrave the stone, there’re more and more mani stones heaping together, which form Mani stone mounds and Mani walls.
The Shapes and Content of Mani Stones
The shape of the Mani Stone is generally square or round at the lower half, while the upper half is piled like a cone or hill, which is originated from the worship of towering mountains and mountain gods on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau.
Most Mani Stones are put on the Ox horns, goat horns, or whole yak skulls, some even plug cypress branches or sticks in the stones signifying swords, and hang on a strip of cloth on the branches or sticks signifying souls. And colorful Tibetan prayer flags were hung on the top or around the mani stones, which makes it beautiful and mysterious.
The content of the carvings on Mani Stones, early mainly with the Bon-worship thought of graphics and symbols, such as the sun, moon, dragon, fish, bird, beast, Swastika, etc. With the rise of Buddhism, the themes and contents of the stone carvings gradually changed into scriptures, incantations (six-word Dharani), Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, eminent monks, Buddhist pagodas, etc.
The Most Famous Mani Stone Sites
In the opinion of the Tibetan people, the stones on the plateau are sacred, and the Mani Stone has the spirits of divines. There are also many famous sites related to Mani Stones on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau.
Jiana Mani Stone city — It is located in Yushu county, Qinghai province, which is the largest Mani stone mound in the world for covering an area of two football fields size.
Qamdo Mani Mountain — It is located in a village at the roadside of Heichang Path in eastern Tibet, with a history of more than 600 years.
Guge Mani Wall — It’s located in the ruins of the Guge Kingdom site in Tibet, with a history of 700 to 800 years.
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