Shrine with Prayer Wheels

Portable rectangular metal shrine comprising three parts. The central part contains 13 wheels engraved with lines of mantras, separated by a line of turquoise gemstones. The top and bottom parts of the shrine each have five embossed panels with a many-armed tantric deity surrounded by other figures, as well as coral and turquoise rosettes. The shrine is crowned with four dragons who guard a mountain, thought to be Mount Kailash in Tibet, which is considered sacred. Inside the shrine, there are two compartments that once used to store ritual objects used in Tibetan monasteries.
In Vajrayâna Buddhism, lamas created these prayer wheels due to the importance of prayer and meditation in reaching enlightenment, as they helped the illiterate population attain it, since they did not have access to the sacred texts nor the time to meditate due to their daily tasks.
The rotation of the wheel from right to left is equivalent to reading the prayers that were written on paper and kept inside the wheels. The more times the wheel rotates, the more prayers are said, which provides many benefits, the main one being the elimination of obstacles to enlightenment. Prayer wheels are used by the Tibetan people, regardless of their social rank.