OLD SULEMANI BHAISAJYAGURU
BANDED AGATE BEAD.
Bead diameter 18.4 mm. Bead thickness: 12.7 mm.
Weight 6.1 grams.
People string a few of these ancient beads with other prized beads and sometimes use one bead on a sacred Mala.
This Indo -Tibetan Suleimani Bhaaisajyaguru agate bead finds its roots in the ancient culture and healing practices of Tibet. This bead draws inspiration from Suleimani beads that were believed to possess healing properties, offering protection from negative energy and promoting physical well-being and spiritual balance. Its historical significance, combined with the allure of Indo-Tibetan artistry, makes this bead an exquisite piece for collectors and enthusiasts of antique jewelry.
Suleimani Agate, a semi-precious stone originating from the Indus Valley in India, is revered for its exceptional natural patterns and unique aesthetic appeal. The beads exhibit varying hues of black and gray along with intricate banding, evoking a sense of timeless beauty.
Embodying Spiritual Symbolism:
These beads are also known as ‘Medicine Beads’ which further enhance the significance and allure of this bead. The Medicine Buddha represents healing and compassion, making it a symbol of great spiritual importance in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism. This bead thus serves as a tangible connection to ancient healing traditions and spiritual practices of the region.According to Buddhist tradition these old Sulemani Bhaisajaguru banded agate beads remove the root of all disease, they will also ensure good health and a long and successful life.
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This type of Sulemani Bhaisajaguru banded agate bead was used by Buddhists in Afghanistan as Afghanistan was a predominant Buddhist culture up to the year 1000 AD.
This type of bead was also a very prized posession of Surfi Muslim Faqirs who had taken a vow of poverty and worship.
The Surfi Muslim Faqirs renounced all relations and posessions and were wandering Dervishes who taught Islam and lived on alms, they usually travelled between villages reciting scriptures and they performed various physical feats.
The word Faqir is a Muslim or Hindu monk or holy man.
This ancient /old Sulemani dZi banded agate bead is especially popular in Tibet and areas close by. Beads such as these were traded to be a "Part of the religious and cultural lives of the inhabitants of Ladakh, Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan." There is mixed opinion as to this beads age but it is very old if not an ancient bead.
If an agate bead has been 'lucky' enough to 'sleep' for hundreds or thousands of years in areas where the temperature goes below zero during winter the moisture in the bead will make small circular cracks in the surface of the bead. This is due to the expansion of the water molecules when they turn into ice. This beautiful sign of age is only to be seen in beads from the Himalayas and Afghanistan and other places that have frost in the winter. Beads that have dwelled in areas with hotter climates will not display these marks of age. The appearance of these cracks will also depend on the hardness and porousness of the stone. A dense agate stone bead with less water inside will even survive the winters of the Himalayas without these cracks.