A Tibetan monk with Phurba.

Padmasambhava is credited with the invention of the phurba. During the struggle against the demons who were fighting the establishment of Buddhism in Tibet, he is said to have pulled out a peg from the tent of a non-believer and, using the peg to nail down evil spirits, consecrated the ground on which the Samye Monastery weas established in the eighth century. This simple peg became the Phurba, an important tool of religious practice that is used to this day.

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		1. Fierce Wooden Phurba. Nepal, 19th Century. 7 3/4" (20 cm). The three deities grinning and showing their teeth above a carving of an endless knot and a dorje handle. The blade shows some wear; the makhara and the intertwined snakes on the blade are very stylized. Fine carving and a beautiful patina. $275.
		2. Phurba with Kingly Figure Riding a Leopard. Nepal, Early 20th Century. Wood, 11 1/4" (29 cm). The The figure of the rider wears the bird of paradise crown of the king of Nepal. There is a small face of a deity at the top of each corner of the blade; the blade itself is covered with symbolic carvings. $300.
		3. Phurba in the Shape of a Man. Nepal, Early 20th Century. Wood, 12 1/2" (31.75 cm). A standing figure with the faces of three crowned deities above his head. The blade in this case is very unusual -- truncated, four sided, and carved with geometric carvings on three sides, entwined snakes on the fourth. $300.
		4. Bronze Phurba. Nepal, contemporary. 8 1/2" (21.6 cm). Faces of three deities crowned with skulls above a finely worked central dorje and three sided blade. A beautiful modern piece. $375.
		5. Four Sided Phurba. Nepal, 19th Century. 8 1/2" (21.6 cm). Wood. An unusual phurba with four deities, each with round eyes and a slight smile, above a four-sided blade. $250.
		6. Phurba with Mythological Creature. Nepal, 19th Century. 10 1/2" (26.7 cm). A strange creature standing on top of three fierces faces of Mahakala, each with a different expression. The center of the phurba is a dorje and the sides of the blades are carved with entwined snakes. SOLD.
		7. Star Phurba Nepal, 19th century. 10 1/4" (26 cm) long. Wood with iron and brass. Three fierce deities under a collective crown topped with a brass star. The stylized, three sided blade, sheathed in iron, comes to a sharp point. $295.
		8. Wooden Phurba Set. Nepal, 17th century. Each is 6 1/2" (16.5 cm) long. Used by priests as a part of a mandala ritual. Four of the phurbas have elaborate headdresses, five have crowns; these nine are arranged around the taller, simpler phurba. Made of very hard wood; when the phurbas are moved around together they ring almost as though they were metal. SOLD.
		9. Antique Three Metal Phurba. Nepal. Brass, copper, iron. It is difficult to assess the age of a metal phurba because they essentially don't change in style over time. However, I would say that this one is 19th century. The iron blade serves as a core to the whole phurba, running through both the copper vajra handle and the brass bhairab head. The 3 sided blade extends from the mounth of a makhara (water deity). 8 1/2" (21.5 cm.) long. $450.
		10. Brass Phurba with Iron Blade. Early 20th century. Tibet or Nepal. Brass and iron. Classic Tibetan Buddhist phurba with three different fierce faces of the deity, a dorje handle and three sided iron blade for nailing down obstacles. The iron core runs throughout the entire phurba. 9 1/2" (24 cm.) long. ON HOLD.$450.