Mani stone refers to the stone engraved with Buddhism scriptures or the portraits of deity, and is regarded as the eternal belief engraved in stones. [Photo/China Tibet Online]

Mani stone refers to the stone engraved with Buddhism scriptures or the portraits of deity, and is regarded as the eternal belief engraved in stones.

"Mani" stands for the six-syllable prayer "om mani padme hum", which is the origin of "Mani stone".

Mani stone is a sacrificial element of both Bonism and Buddhism popular among Tibetans. It combines religion and folk art, and is an extension of nature worship and a recreation of megalithic culture.

Tibetans carve their devout wishes on stones and then put the stones besides the circumambulation paths around holy mountains and lakes. With time passing by, these stones then form a Mani stone pile.

The Bon religion believes in animism, which considers the world as a combination of various spirits in mountains, rocks, rivers, lakes, earth, trees and even a small stone. So, a stone may hold the spirit of a deity or a ghost.

With the prevalence of Buddhism in Tibetan inhabited areas, belief and worship become visualized so that the original worship of nature turns to the worship of scriptures and Buddha portraits.

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.

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]