Tsa-tsa & votive clay

Meaning

Tsa-tsas are small clay images of buddhas, deities and stupas pressed from moulds, sometimes mixed with the ashes of the dead, relics or consecrated substances.

Intent

They were made as merit, offered at shrines and pilgrimage sites, placed inside stupas and ga'us, and carried for protection and blessing. Mixed with a person's ashes, they helped their rebirth.

Significance

Tsa-tsas are one of the most widespread forms of Tibetan devotional art, and their moulds reproduce famous images across centuries. Their Indian origin is the clay sealing of Buddhist pilgrimage.

History

Clay votive sealings come from Indian Buddhism (Bodh Gaya, 7th century). Tsa-tsas were made in Tibet from the 10th–11th centuries onward and are still made today.

Making yours

3–10 cm pressed clay (air-dried or fired), sometimes painted gold. Make a silicone mould from an original and use terracotta clay.

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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Votive plaque, Amitayus, clay, E,Tibet, 19th centuryChamdo · 19th century

Amulet, embossed brass, with tablet ( tsa-tsa ), clay and human ash, depicting Vajrapani, Tibet and India, 19tTibet · 19th century

Om-Mani-Padmi-Hum; Ritual, limestone, carved, Ladakh, C18-1918th century-19th century

Tsa-tsas, Bhutan

Votive plaque, Mahakala, flaming torana, clay, E.Tibet, 19th centuryChamdo · 19th century

Votive plaque, brass, embossed and chased, set with turquoise, Tibet, probably 19th centuryTibet · 19th century

Tsa-tsas on Paro Taktsang trail

Votive plaque, Padamasambhava with his two wives, clay, E.Tibet, 19th centuryChamdo · 19th century

Human Ashes Made into small chortens left at monestary (2420158109)

Votive plaque, Amitayas, Padmasambhava, clay, E.Tibet, 19th centuryChamdo · 19th century

Bhutan Rock Shrine Little Chortens (23793390696)

Shadows on a Tibetan Buddhist monument

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