Amuletsthe gallery← amulets.guru
Tibet & the Himalaya · c. 600 – today

Ga’u amulet boxes

Meaning

A ga'u is a portable shrine, a box of silver or copper with a window holding a deity image, printed mantras, relics, consecrated pills (mani rilbu), tsa-tsas and blessed threads. It carries the Buddha's protection wherever one goes.

Intent

Men wore it on a shoulder strap when travelling, women on elaborate necklaces, and it protected against accidents, illness, evil spirits and bad rebirth. Ga'us were sealed and consecrated by a lama and never opened casually.

Significance

The ga'u is the emblematic Tibetan jewel, and women's ga'u necklaces show family wealth through turquoise and coral. It is the perfect example of Buddhist blessing made portable.

History

Ga'us have been worn in Tibet, Ladakh, Nepal, Bhutan and Mongolia for centuries, and most surviving examples date from the 18th to early 20th centuries.

Making yours
5–15 cm. Silver or copper back with a repoussé front frame (arch, circle or square), turquoise and coral settings, and loops on the sides.
Tibet & the Himalaya: the tradition

Tibetan protection is inseparable from Vajrayana Buddhism: blessed images, printed mantras, pills made from relics and consecrated substances, and the ga'u box to carry them. Pre-Buddhist Bön beliefs survive in dzi beads and thokcha 'sky iron'. Protective printed charts (srung-'khor) and phurba daggers repel obstacles. Many amulets were made or blessed by famous lamas, and their value depends on the lineage of the blessing as much as the material.

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JewelleryJewelleryTibet · 19th century to 20th centurysquare figure of a deity; Jewellery, silver, embossed, Nepal, C19square figure of a deity; Jewellery, silver, embossed, Nepal, C19Nepal · early 19th centuryA cylindrical silver amulet box or ga'u chugsung, in two halves containing a roll of printed prayers in TibetaA cylindrical silver amulet box or ga'u chugsung, in two halves containing a roll of printed prayers in TibetaNgari · ca. 1960-1970with necklace attached; Jewellery, glass, Bhutan, C20thwith necklace attached; Jewellery, glass, Bhutan, C20thBhutan · early 20th centuryWoman's Amulet Box (Ga'u)Woman's Amulet Box (Ga'u)Tibet · 18th centuryAmulet boxAmulet boxLhasa · ca. early 20th centuryGa'u made of hammered and chased copper, in the form of a bean, E.Tibet, 19th centuryGa'u made of hammered and chased copper, in the form of a bean, E.Tibet, 19th centuryChamdo · 19th centuryCharm CaseCharm CaseJewelleryJewelleryTibet · 1800-1850JewelleryJewelleryNepal · 18th century-19th centuryA rectangular silver amulet box or ga'u, made and used in western Tibet caA rectangular silver amulet box or ga'u, made and used in western Tibet caNgari · ca. 1960-1970Amulet-box ( Ga'u ), hammered brass and turquoise-matrix, Tibet or Bhutan, 19th centuryAmulet-box ( Ga'u ), hammered brass and turquoise-matrix, Tibet or Bhutan, 19th centuryBhutan · 19th centuryA small silver gilt amulet box set with turquoisesA small silver gilt amulet box set with turquoisesLhasa · ca. first half 19th centuryGa'u made of hammered copper with chased and repoussé decoration and turquoise inlay, E.Tibet, 19th centuryGa'u made of hammered copper with chased and repoussé decoration and turquoise inlay, E.Tibet, 19th centuryChamdo · 19th centuryCharm Case PairCharm Case Pair19 th century date QS:P571,+1850-00-00T00:00:00Z/7Shrine-shaped amulet box, made in Apishang (Eastern Tibet), caShrine-shaped amulet box, made in Apishang (Eastern Tibet), caTibet · ca. 1940Ga'u made of hammered and repoussé copper with applied and repoussé silver, E.Tibet, 19th centuryGa'u made of hammered and repoussé copper with applied and repoussé silver, E.Tibet, 19th centuryChamdo · 19th centuryCharm CaseCharm CaseNepalese style Amulet Case, brass and copper-gilt, Central Tibet, late 19th centuryNepalese style Amulet Case, brass and copper-gilt, Central Tibet, late 19th centuryTibet · late 19th centuryGa'u of hammered and chased copper, containing gilt image of Yamantaka, E.Tibet, 19th centuryGa'u of hammered and chased copper, containing gilt image of Yamantaka, E.Tibet, 19th centuryChamdo · 19th centuryMan's Portable Amulet Shrine (Ga'u)Man's Portable Amulet Shrine (Ga'u)18 th century date QS:P571,+1750-00-00T00:00:00Z/7Ritual, metal turquoiseRitual, metal turquoiseTibet · 1800-1850Ga'u, hammered silver, with chased and repoussé facing, contains image of Buddha, E.Tibet, 19th centuryGa'u, hammered silver, with chased and repoussé facing, contains image of Buddha, E.Tibet, 19th centuryChamdo · 19th centuryCharm CaseCharm Case19 th century date QS:P571,+1850-00-00T00:00:00Z/7This is currently labelled LOST.1301 NEEDS RENUMBERING; pendant; Ritual, silver brass turquoise, filigree, TibThis is currently labelled LOST.1301 NEEDS RENUMBERING; pendant; Ritual, silver brass turquoise, filigree, TibTibet · early 20th centuryGa'u made of hammered bronze, containing brass image of Jambhala or Kuvera wrapped in satin, E.Tibet, 19th cenGa'u made of hammered bronze, containing brass image of Jambhala or Kuvera wrapped in satin, E.Tibet, 19th cenChamdo · 19th centuryCharm CaseCharm CaseJewelleryJewelleryTibet · early 20th centuryGa'u made of hammered copper and silver, inset with carnelian, containing image of Padma Sambhava, E.Tibet, 19Ga'u made of hammered copper and silver, inset with carnelian, containing image of Padma Sambhava, E.Tibet, 19Chamdo · 19th centuryTibetan wool rug with Gau (amulet) design, woven about 1900 (cropped)Tibetan wool rug with Gau (amulet) design, woven about 1900 (cropped)Amulet Box (ga'u)Amulet Box (ga'u)Tibet · 1800-1850Portable amulet case (gahu), TibetPortable amulet case (gahu), TibetJewelleryJewelleryTibet · early 19th centuryTibetan amulet case (silver)Tibetan amulet case (silver)JewelleryJewelleryTibet · early 20th centuryTibetan wool rug with Gau (amulet) design, woven about 1900Tibetan wool rug with Gau (amulet) design, woven about 1900Amulet box with clay tablet inside, copper silver silver-gilt, repoussé, Buddhist, Tibet, 19th centuryAmulet box with clay tablet inside, copper silver silver-gilt, repoussé, Buddhist, Tibet, 19th centuryTibet · 19th centurySilver amulet box - Etnografiska MuseetSilver amulet box - Etnografiska MuseetAmulet case, silver gilt, Tibet, 19th centuryAmulet case, silver gilt, Tibet, 19th centuryTibet · 19th centuryThree Amulet Cases from Tibet, V&A LondonThree Amulet Cases from Tibet, V&A LondonA shrine-shaped amulet box of gilt silver, Tibet, 19th centuryA shrine-shaped amulet box of gilt silver, Tibet, 19th centuryTibet · 19th centuryJewellery, silver turq's, filigree, Sikkim, C19Jewellery, silver turq's, filigree, Sikkim, C19Tibet · early 19th centuryga'u; Ritual, copper, repousse parcel gilt, Nepal, C19ga'u; Ritual, copper, repousse parcel gilt, Nepal, C19Tibet · 1900-1950Amulet-box (Ga'u) , repoussé and parcel-gilt copper, containing portion of tangka painting, tempera-colours onAmulet-box (Ga'u) , repoussé and parcel-gilt copper, containing portion of tangka painting, tempera-colours onTibet · 19th centuryJewelleryJewelleryTibet · 19th centuryCharm box from TibetCharm box from TibetTibet · 19th centuryGa'u, hammered sheet-copper with cast silver, containing image IM.20-1929, Tibet, 18th centuryGa'u, hammered sheet-copper with cast silver, containing image IM.20-1929, Tibet, 18th centuryTibet · 18th centuryCharm-box with figure of Yama, gilt copper, Tibet, 18th centuryCharm-box with figure of Yama, gilt copper, Tibet, 18th centuryTibet · 18th centuryJewellery, silver coral beads, embossed, SikkimJewellery, silver coral beads, embossed, SikkimTibet · mid 19th century

More from Tibet & the Himalaya: Dzi beads · Thokcha (sky-iron) · Tsa-tsa & votive clay · Phurba & protective ritual objects · Other & unsorted Tibet
Every type in the gallery

Anything in the gallery can be made: any piece, any tradition, in its own material or yours, by hand from the documented original. Numbered. Price on commission, quoted before anything is made. I reply within one business day.