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 called 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 wooden phurba comes from Nepal. It is a very old one, with a face handcarved in a very archaic Nepalese style. There's remains of old fabric on both the body, the neck and the head area's and on one side a part of a little wooden stick, attached to the 'shoulder' area is still there (perhaps this phurba had 'arms' at one point in its life?). Very clearly this is not a phurba made for decorative or tourist-purposes. Instead this is a really old one, made for very practical purposes by the village shaman.
Of course, due to its age and usage, this phurba isn't in perfect condition. But only think about all the work it must have done during its long lifespan.... this phurba definitely knows its way around the block. Will you be its next partner to join in serious heavy duty?
This antique phurba has a length of 25 centimeters and weighs 116 grams.
Unique item.
