Strand of Massive Indo-Tibetan Sulemani or Bhaisajyaguru Prayer Beads

This string of ancient Indo-Tibetan Sulemani or Bhaisajyaguru beads, from an old English collection, comprises beads of a size we simply have not seen before, published or otherwise. There are 26 heads in total, 24 of which are particularly massive. The largest bead has a diameter of almost 4 centimetres.

Most likely the beads have their origins in ancient India, such beads were traded widely, and in Tibet, came to be regarded alongside Dzi beads as having protective, talismanic properties.

The onyx, a type of banded agate, used to make these beads, was hand cut and hand polished. The rudimentary tools used to make such beads are clear in the set here which are unevenly spherical.

The holes used to thread the beads are similarly uneven, and the surfaces of the beads are covered with the fine, circular crazing seen in ancient agates.

The term Sulemani bead was an Islamic renaming of beads already in use for magic, religious, and currency purposes for thousands of years. Banded black and brown beads with white stripes were used in Buddhist rosaries and malas reaching back to at least 700 BC.

See a related strand of ancient onyx beads in the Louvre Museum collection, Paris. The strand was found around 1930 at the site of the ancient city of Susa (2000-1940BC) in present-day Iran. The beads in this strand are large but not nearly as large as the examples here.

Typically, beads of this type are attributed to the Indus Valley or Harrapa culture and were sourced from Gujarat. As such the beads will date to around 2000BC-3000BC. Statues suggest that Harrapa women themselves like to adorn themselves with stone beads rather than with gold. Different shapes, sizes and colours of stone beads allowed for an infinite range of ways to decorate oneself because beads could be restrung and rematched endlessly.

The strand here is in excellent condition. The individual beads are ancient and have surfaces to match. There is much unevenness on account of wear and the fact that they are handmade, some surface crazing and light cracking, and contact wear to the stringing holes.