Very old wooden phurba from Nepal. Artisan handcarved in an ancient style. Please look closely at the pictures to observe the condition of this item; due to its age, this phurba shows some imperfections and damages, but overall, considering its very respectable age, still in good condition.
Design characteristics:
The pommel and handle of this phurba are formed by three woodcarved human figurines; typical Nepalese 'namaskara mudra' figurines, referring to the hands being folded in prayer- or greeting position. Statues and figurines in this style are an intricate part of Nepal's cultural heritage. Bigger sized statues are often called 'putali' statues and can be found all over the land, for example at the entrance of temples, shrines or houses, at bridges, important crossroads, the central square or biggest tree of a village and so on. They are both greeting-statues and protective statues. With the traditional hand mudra they greet the visitors and passers-by, but also they protect the area or building where they are standing. Often a spirit of a local ancestor dwells in them.
The namaskara mudra style can however also be found in much smaller objects, as woodcarved figurines on both daily attributes and ritual items. Also in this case they often serve the purpose of a spirit house; a physical home for the spirit that is connected to the item.
Around the neck of the figurines on this phurba, there are still the remains of old fabric, that was given to this phurba (as blessing/empowerment/consecration) by its previous owner.
Blade: The blade is held by an abstract representation of the mythical watermonster Makara. On the blade traditional symbols have been handcarved; a bird, fish, naga and a face (most likely of the Sungod).
As can be seen on the pictures, this phurba is a very large one; It has a length of 33 centimeters and weighs 432 grams.
Read more about the design symbolism and usage of the phurba in the general description of the webshop-collection "Ritual Attributes; Phurba's".
