Tibetan incense making techniques

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Tibetan incense making techniques

Applicant: Nimu County, Tibet Autonomous Region

Project No.: 924

Project No.: VIII - 141

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Tibet Autonomous Region

Type: new item

Applicant: Nimu County, Tibet Autonomous Region

Protected by: Bureau of culture, radio, film and television, Nimu County, Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region

Introduction to Tibetan incense making techniques:

Applicant: Nimu County, Tibet Autonomous Region

It is said that Tibetan incense was created by tunmi sangbuza, Minister of Songzanganbu in the 7th century. It has a history of more than 1300 years. Songzanganbu, the king of Tibet, is a devout Buddhist. In order to honor two 12-year-old and 8-year-old Buddha statues of Sakyamuni, who were invited from Chang'an and Nepal, Songzanganbu instructed his minister, tunmi sambuza, to develop incense for Buddha. Under the guidance of Tibetan medicine, tunmi sangbuza meticulously developed the technique of hand-made water grinding incense making, and from then on, Tibetan incense began to spread all over the country.

Traditional Tibetan incense making techniques use dried cypress, musk, sandalwood and other dozens of spices as raw materials. First, the dried cypress is sawed into several small sections, peeled, and then ground into cypress wood mud by water wheel, kneaded with various spices, and then the cypress wood mud mixed with various spices is pressed into the horn, and then dried for two to three days to make Tibetan incense.

Tibetan incense has the functions of dispelling diseases and disasters, nourishing spirit and intelligence, cleaning air, sterilizing, promoting human metabolism, enhancing immune function, expelling insects, preventing epidemic diseases, etc. in history, it was mainly used by eminent monks in Buddhist worship, and its scope of use is extremely limited. Due to the scarcity of raw materials, few monks have mastered the formula of Tibetan incense, and Tibetan incense is on the verge of extinction. In recent years, with the efforts of zhikongti temple in Mozhugongka County, Tibet Autonomous Region, Tibetan incense production has been initially restored, but it still needs to be protected and fostered.

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