Dagger (Phurbu)
ClassificationsArms and Armor-daggers
Culture
Tibetan
Date20th Century
Made AtTibet Autonomous Region, China, Asia
MediumWood
Dimensions9 3/8 × 1 5/8 in. (23.8 × 4.1 cm)
Credit LineGift of Anne and Long Shung Shih
Object number2019.15.16
DescriptionThis is a dagger used in Tibetan Buddhist tradition to perform specific rituals pertaining to exorcising demons. Small examples as is the case here would have been held by hand, but larger daggers would have instead been displayed on pedestals. The triangular blade seen in this object is very characteristic of these daggers, as is the figurative representation on the pommel of the blade. The daggers served as representations of Buddhist deities such as Mahākāla and Vajraklla, and called upon their strength to remove evil spirits.On View
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