Seal with horse and rider

Togchas

Togchas (Tibetan: Thog-lcags) are metal objects believed by Tibetans to have fallen from the sky and are thus highly treasured as powerful talismans for warding off evil. The words thog (thunder and lightning) and lcags (iron) indicate that these metal objects are associated with specific atmospheric phenomena. The fact that togchas are found by chance by Tibetan peasants working in the fields or picked up by nomads in the highlands has led to the belief that they were not created by human hands but “fell from the sky” due to the effects of thunder and lightning. Tibetans wear togchas on their bodies and fondle them with their hands; some togchas develop a patina from constant handling.

Togchas, although found in Tibet, are not necessarily Tibetan in origin. For example, no. 1 is a Chinese Tang-dynasty image of the Buddha Maitreya that probably came into Tibet with the first transmission of Buddhism, when the Tibetan king Tsongtsen Gampo married Buddhist princesses from China and Nepal.