This rare Bodhi Seed mala comes from the small village of Timal, about 5 hours southeast by car of Kathmandu in Nepal. I returned to practice at Yarinak cave while on Pilgrimage in early in 2024 This is the site in Timal, Nepal where Padmasambhava stayed and practiced. It was said Guru Rinpoche, on his journey back from Tibet, meditated there before moving to Pharping at Asura cave. Timal, Nepal is connected with Guru Rinpoche himself when he taught that Bodhi Seeds should be used for counting mantra. Additionally, it is said Padmasambhava defeated Tirthikas—sworn enemies of the Dharma near Yakinak cave. Afterwards, he blessed the lands of this area.
Over time the Bodhi Trees and the seeds of Timal have become deeply connected to Guru Rinpoche. The Bodhi Seeds from this area are grown, harvested, and crafted into malas by the local people. One of the only ways to verify the authenticity of a Timal Bodhi Seed mala, is to go directly to the source. I was fortunate enough to return this year. See the last image of me at the gateway entering Timal.
This mala is one of the few I was able to hand pick from a resident craft person in Timal. The beads are generally sized 11mm to 12mm side-to-side and are in very good condition. On the average, I am calling this an "11.5mm" sized Bodhi Seed Mala. The beads have a light to medium brown color with a very even and consistent color tone. Round beads with even color and little-to-no trimming are rare, high quality, and therefore highly sought after. This mala feels very good in the hand.
The overall length is 22.00 inches or 55.88cm from the top to the bottom of the guru bead and 24.00 inches or 60.96cm from the tip to the end of the cord. This mala is strung using a single golden-yellow nylon cord that is tied off at the end. This mala is finished with a beautiful 3-eye Bodhi Seed guru bead sized 17.5mm with matching color tones has a complimenting appearance and presence.
This is an extremely rare, high quality, and beautiful mala with a deep local connection to Guru Padmasambhava. Authentic Timal Bodhi Seed Malas seldomly come up for sale.
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