Prayer flag

Lung ta prayer flags hang along a mountain path in Nepal.
Close-up of a Lung ta ("Wind Horse") prayer flag, Ladakh, India.

A Tibetan prayer flag is a colorful rectangular cloth, often found strung along trails and peaks high in the Himalayas. They are used to bless the surrounding countryside and for other purposes.

Prayer flags are believed to have originated within the religious tradition of Bon.[1] In Bon, shamanistic Bonpo used primary-colored plain flags in Tibet.[2] Traditional prayer flags include woodblock-printed text and images.

  1. ^ Barker, page 14
  2. ^ "Radiant Heart: The Prayer Flag Tradition" (PDF). prayerflags.com. Retrieved 2007-12-29.