དཔར་ཤིང་

A wooden dough mould (Tib. དཔར་ཤིང་ Wylie. dpar shing, sometimes called Zan Par, though this term seems not to be used in Spiti). These moulds are used to make impressions of figures and symbols into dough offerings used in tantric rituals. The spectrum of carvings on these dough moulds include human, humanoid, mythical, demonic and animal-like figures, as well as astrological / auspicious symbols. Some carvings are of individual figures, other carvings are in groups. Par shing offer a transportable catalogue of ritual imagery, only one of which may to be used for a specific ceremony.

Extent: One wooden dough mould.

Size and dimensions of original material: 28 x 2.7 x 2.8 cm.

Custodial history: All the material was passed to the current owner by his father. Nyima Dorje is not a practising chowa but his father, grandfather and great grandfather were well established and well respected practitioners and would travel widely to undertake tantric rituals.

Arrangement: All the material was kept in the prayer room of Nyima Dorje's house (unseen).