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 minor imperfections and damages, but overall, considering its very respectable age, it is still in very good condition.
Design characteristics:
Pommel and handle of this phurba are formed by a human figurine in a typical Nepalese 'namaskara mudra' style, 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.
Blade: The backside of the blade shows a carving of a naga crawling upwards.
This somewhat smaller sized phurba measures 17,5 centimeters length and weighs 56 grams.
Read more about the design symbolism and usage of the phurba in the general description of the webshop-collection "Ritual Attributes; Phurba's".
