Exorcising Dagger
14th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This ritual dagger or 'phurba' is used in Tibet for the protection of sacred areas and the controlling or destruction of negative spiritual forces. The power in such a dagger is believed to arise from the presence within it of a deity with which the monk or practitioner unifies himself.
In this case the particular wrathful Dharmapala or protector of the Buddhist religion is Hayagriva. His symbol is the horse's head, seen here in the three worn heads at the top of the dagger.
In this case the particular wrathful Dharmapala or protector of the Buddhist religion is Hayagriva. His symbol is the horse's head, seen here in the three worn heads at the top of the dagger.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Wrought iron and cast brass |
| Brief description | Exorcising dagger with a three sided iron blade and a brass handle in the form of four wrathful heads and a vajra, Tibet, 14th century |
| Physical description | A three sided iron bladed ritual dagger with a brass alloy handle in the form of four wrathful heads with projecting horses heads, a vajra forms the remainder of the handle. |
| Credit line | Transferred from the India Museum in 1879 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This ritual dagger or 'phurba' is used in Tibet for the protection of sacred areas and the controlling or destruction of negative spiritual forces. The power in such a dagger is believed to arise from the presence within it of a deity with which the monk or practitioner unifies himself. In this case the particular wrathful Dharmapala or protector of the Buddhist religion is Hayagriva. His symbol is the horse's head, seen here in the three worn heads at the top of the dagger. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 02887 |
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| Record created | December 14, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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