Mani stone carving: belief engraved in time

Tibetan people would circumambulate the Mani stone piles even during their outing to mountain tops. They would read "Lhasolo" and "Ragyalo" to pray for peace and safety. [Photo/China Tibet Online]

In the meanwhile, carving scriptures and Buddha portraits on palisades and cliffs cannot satisfy people's needs so that stones that can be seen and found everywhere come to people's eyes.

Stones of various sizes can be found everywhere near holy lakes and mountains or around monasteries.

People then carve their wishes and prayers onto the stones. The inscription can be Buddha, guardian gods of animals and the popular six-syllable prayer word.

On some Mani stone piles, people would also put on tree branches tied up with sutra flags or yak tails and skulls to express special wishes and prayers.

While chanting sutras and dialing prayer beads, people would put one stone to the pile after each circumambulation. Day by day, the Mani stone pile rises.

Tibetan people would circumambulate the Mani stone piles even during their outing to mountain tops. They would read "Lhasolo" and "Ragyalo" to pray for peace and safety.