Torma

Torma or butter sculptures, Dhankar Gompa, Spiti
Torma, Ralung Monastery, Tibet, 1993
Torma cakes offered on the sand mandala
Tormas on a shrine
Making tormas
Monk making tormas in Sera Monastery in 1939

Torma (Skt: Balingta, Tibetan: གཏོར་མ, Wylie: gtor ma; Tor-ma) are sculptures made mostly of flour and butter used in tantric rituals or as offerings in Tibetan Buddhism. They may be dyed in different colors, often with white or red for the main body of the torma. They are made in specific shapes based on their purpose, usually conical in form. A very large, central shrine torma may be constructed for festivals, though typically they are small and placed directly on a shrine, on a plate, mounted on leather[1] or held on a special base like a skull.[2]

  1. ^ The Tibet Album Glossary Archived 2008-07-01 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Beer (2003) pp. 212-220