BY.T-11 (previous number) and T-11 (original number)
Accession number:
Acc.4737
Description:
Copper pot (a) with lid (b), handle and spout attached to pot with engraved bases; used for ritual purposes such as offering libations to deities. The lid is taken off, and the pot is filled with water, often colored with saffron. The lid is used as the offering dish.
Donor:
Estate of G. Eleanore Murray, Estate of Theos C. Bernard, and Theos C. Bernard
Collection place:
Tibet
Verbatim coll. place:
Tibet
Collector:
Theos C. Bernard
Materials:
Copper (metal), Silver (metal), and Turquoise (mineral)
Object type:
ethnography
Function:
5.1 Religion and Divination: Objects and garb associated with practices reflecting submission, devotion, obedience, and service to supernatural agencies
Production date:
20th century
Accession date:
March 12, 2004
Context of use:
Special offerings are placed in the lid/dish, according to the type of ritual and the appetites of the deities who are the subjects of the ritual. For example, offerings to yakshas (a type of superhuman beings who visit this world) receive offerings of comestibles in the form of small round edible balls. These are placed in the lid/dish and then, having invoked the yakshas, the ritualist will make the proper hand gestures (mudra), say the proper offering prayers, then pour the consecrated libation fluid on top of the comestibles. After making the offering, the yakshas are asked to help the ritualist or his patrons in specified ways. During the ritual procedure, the pot is held up and poured with one finger, which goes through the handle ring. This leaves the other hand and the other fingers of the pouring hand free to place the comestibles and formed the mudras, etc.