The phurba is a ritual triangular knife common in vast territories of Asia, including India, Pakistan, Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, China, Japan and others. There is no exact data on the duration of the use of phurba for ritual purposes, but according to references in the annals and finds from excavations it can be established that is has been used at least 3500 years.
There are multiple ways in which the phurba is used. In many traditions it is used during ritual actions for its protective qualities, keeping the space safe from distortion by dark spirits and protecting the souls of the participants from getting lost. For this reason, before going into deep trance, Nepalese Orthodox Shamans (Jakri) stick the phurba into the ground on their left side to keep dark spirits at a distance.
Also the phurba can be used as an attribute for healing, using it to expel evil spirits and entities from the human body and as a tool for directing energy and giving blessings.
In the appearance of a phurba there’s a lot of symbolism to be seen. Lengthwise it symbolizes the axis of the world and the three levels of Middleworld, Upperworld and Underworld can be recognized. The three facets of the faces and the blade symbolize all kinds of trinities, like in time (past, present, future) or state (creation, preservation, destruction).
This phurba is unique in its appearance. It is made from heavy iron in a typical, traditional style that is mostly found in the Himalayan Solu Khumbu region, near Mount Everest. The handle shows a double face; on the one side the guardian and owner of this phurba; Vajrakilaya (or Dorje Phurba), a wrathful form of the Buddha Vajrasattva. And on the other side a Citipati face; a skeleton face, which is part of the (especially) vajrayana Buddhist imagery. Citipati are associated with the cemeteries and charnel grounds and represent profound lessons about mortality, impermanence, the cycle of life and death, and freedom from samsara.
The middle area of the phurba shows an intriguing depiction of finger prints.
This phurba has a length of 17 centimeters and weighs 139 grams.
Unique and rare piece, only one available.
