Tibetans are a group of devout religious people. They find many ways to express their respect and piety to certain deities, such as presenting offerings, reciting, circumambulating and worshipping, during which many religious objects are always involved.
Presenting offerings is a traditional religious ceremony for Tibetans. Chemar, Butter Sculptures , Mandalas , Tsa-Tsa , butter lamps, pure waters, jewels, fruits and fragrant flowers are all popular in local houses or temples. Chemar is a kind of festive and religious wooden box filled with grains and decorated with Butter Sculptures, which are an exquisite form of artistic works of various lifelike figures made from frozen yak butters. A Mandala, representing the miniature of the universe in Buddhism, is also often used as an offering. Tsa-Tsa mainly refers to some small clay Buddhist statues and stupas , a type of Buddhist pagodas.
Reciting sutras is also a common religious activity in the daily life of Tibetans. However, not all Tibetans can read the characters, hence the use of prayer wheels . They are handled easily and frequently by the Tibetans wherever they may go, and the larger ones are often set up in temples for people to push around. By turning a prayer wheel for one circle, you can achieve the same merit as for reciting a sutra once.
In addition, Tibetans like to circumambulate or worship around some sacred spots or along some special circumambulation roads. Mani Stones, Prayer Flags and Stupas are all holy places where Tibetans often worship. They circle these holy spots while murmuring the mantra ' Om Mani Padme Hum ' at the same time. Alternatively they worship by prostrating themselves wholly on the ground around the spot or along the sacred road.
In the beliefs of Tibetans, by making these religious objects they accumulate merits and please the deities. That is why many Tibetans are always ready to make them. Nowadays many of these objects are not only enjoyed by religious people, but also appreciated by others as an excellent form of art.