Thokcha

"Thunderbolt iron" redirects here. For other uses, see Meteoric iron.

Tibetan thokcha in the shape of a small arch. It may originally have been a tool used to open knots in leather straps that secured pack animal loads.[1]

Thokcha (Tibetan: ཐོག་ལྕགས, Wylie: thog lcags;[2] also alternatively Tibetan: གནམ་ལྕགས, Wylie: gnam lcags[3]) are Tibetan amulets which are said to have fallen from the sky in traditional Tibetan folklore.[4] These are traditionally believed to contain a magical, protective power comparable to Tibetan dzi beads. Most thokcha are made of a copper alloy.[5][failed verification]

Meteorite DZI bead "9 eyes" carved from Aletai iron meteorite

The use of meteoric iron has been common throughout the history of ferrous metallurgy. Historically, thokcha were prized for the metallurgical fabrication of weapons, musical instruments, and sacred tools, such as the phurba. Thokcha are an auspicious addition in the metallurgical fabrication of sacred objects cast from panchaloha.

Writer Robert Beer[6] regards meteoric iron as "the supreme substance for forging the physical representation of the vajra or other iron weapons." It was believed that these amulets had been tempered by the celestial gods before falling to Earth. Beer describes the metal falling from space as a metaphor for "the indivisibility of form and emptiness."[7] Many meteorite fragments can be found in Tibet due to its high altitude and open landscape.[7]

  1. ^ Weihreter, Hans: thog-lcags. Geheimnisvolle Amulette Tibets. PDF-Dokument, Edition Kyung, Augsburg, 2002
  2. ^ Bellezza, John Vincent (March, 1999). Thogchags: The Ancient Amulets of Tibet. Source: [1] (accessed: Wednesday April 14, 2010)
  3. ^ Dharma Dictionary (December, 2005). 'gnam lcags'. Source: [2] (accessed: Thursday April 15, 2010)
  4. ^ Bellezza, John Vincent (2005, 2008). Spirit-mediums, sacred mountains, and related Bon textual traditions in upper Tibet: calling down the gods. Volume 8 of Brill's Tibetan studies library. Brill. NB: 2005 original from University of Michigan, digitized October 2, 2008. ISBN 90-04-14388-2, ISBN 978-90-04-14388-3
  5. ^ Bellezza, John:http://www.asianart.com/articles/thogchags/index.html
  6. ^ "Robert Beer Biography". www.tibetanart.com. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  7. ^ a b Beer, Robert (1999). The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs (Hardcover). Shambhala. ISBN 1-57062-416-X, ISBN 978-1-57062-416-2. Source: [3] (accessed: Thursday April 15, 2010), p.234