A Wrist Mala of 27 White Sandalwood beads. Made in India. White Sandalwood is a fragrant wood. The wood is heavy and yellow in colour as well as fine-grained, and retains its fragrance. The sandalwood fragrance is very distinctive and is commonly used for making mala beads and incense, especially the type of incense used in Hindu and Buddhist temples. In India Sandalwood is given divine status and is thus very commonly used in mala beads. The fragrance of the sandalwood is said to be one of the most pleasing to the Gods and is considered cooling, calming and soothing. Sandalwood is said to promote humility and focuses the mind to aid in meditation. The word 'Mala' means 'Garland'. Mala beads can be made from wooden beads, seeds, semi-precious or precious stones or gems. A full size Mala consists of 108 beads. This wrist Mala consists of 27 beads and can be used for Japa or Mantra Chanting by working around the wrist mala four times, making the 108 of the full mala. When worn around the wrist, it serves as a constant reminder or one's spiritual practice. Each Mala also has a Guru bead, or tassel to remind us of the teachers in our lives. Your Mala will come to you in an embroidered bag for safe keeping. When not in use, your mala should be stored in a special, clean and preferably sacred space, for example on a personal altar or on a statue of a deity. The natural nature of the component parts of these malas may mean that the colours and designs vary slightly, but we feel that this adds to their charm and unique nature, making each one really special and personal. Please note, guru beads hand carved and therefore the carved detail may differ from that illustrated here.
