Item Type: Tibetan Antique Accessories

Style: Tibetan

Dimensions: 0.30 in (7.5 mm) x 0.35 in (9 mm)

Materials and Techniques: Red Sandalwood

Place of Origin: Tibetan

Period: Qing Dynasty

Condition: Good

Top Antique Purple Sandalwood Mala from the Qing Dynasty Tibetan Tradition. Purple sandalwood is a rare wood with high density, making it one of the best materials for crafting Buddhist prayer beads. Its growth rate is extremely slow, with only 3 centimeters of thickness added every 100 years. It takes several hundred to over a thousand years for it to mature, due to its silky texture, lustrous color, and dignified elegance, purple sandalwood has always been highly valued by the imperial court and the nobility. During the Ming Dynasty, it was imported in large quantities, leading to near depletion and a significant increase in price.

This purple sandalwood mala exhibits exceptional perfection, consisting of 108 large-sized beads. Over the centuries of practice and inheritance, the beads have turned into a deep black color, with a thick patina that is truly rare. The mala adopts a Tibetan-style barrel shape, initially having sharp edges during polishing, but the wear from chanting over hundreds of years has resulted in smooth, rounded beads. When held, the beads emit a faint glow, showcasing their fine wood grain and dense texture.

Tibetan-style malas are the most primitive and authentic form of prayer beads, imbued with the accumulated blessings of decades or even centuries of recitation and chanting, possessing unparalleled spiritual power. Wearing or practicing with such a mala not only accumulates merits but also nurtures spiritual cultivation, providing protection during times of adversity.

An antique mala imbued with years of blessings holds great value in the collector's world, and in the eyes of Buddhists, its silent presence can convey infinite teachings, inspiring future generations and perpetuating the Buddha's wisdom. Moreover, due to its extensive blessings, wearing it can provide protection against evil and ward off all forms of negativity.

Rosewood (3)