Item: Ritual Object

Funerary House (Tibetan: se kang, purkang) of the Bon religious tradition of the Himalayas, Tibet and Central Asia. A metal ritual house such as this would typically be used in funeral services and ritual practices related to the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities of the intermediate state between death and rebirth. It is identified as a Bon object by the symbols below the over hang of the upper roof. Each direction is represented by a specific symbol: flower, jewel, wheel and yungdrung (svastika). These four are the direction symbols unique to the Bon religion.

Jeff Watt 3-2007