MANI KHORLAM
The path of prayer wheels

Imagine walking a sacred path where every step becomes a prayer. Step by step in Albagnano, with everyone’s help, we are realising the vision of Lama Gangchen Rinpoche to create a sacred place open to anyone who wants to develop inner peace. Part of this ambitious project is the construction of a path of traditional Tibetan prayer wheels in the gardens of the Temple of Heaven on Earth. This path is called Mani Khorlam.

Kora and mani khorlo

Making a kora and spinning prayer wheels are very popular practices in Asian countries: an opportunity for practitioners, but also for more inexperienced visitors to participate in a simple, authentic, dynamic spiritual practice of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

Kora, in Tibetan སྐོར་ར་, is the term used for the practice of circumambulation, the clockwise walk around a sacred place, such as a temple, stupa or holy mountain. According to Tibetan tradition, the practice of kora is enriched by the presence of prayer wheels, the traditional mani khorlo, which practitioners can spin during their walk. The energy of the mantras, with the movement started by our hand, disperses into the ten directions of space. 

This form of meditation in movement helps us to: purify negative karma, develop compassion, accumulate merit, stimulate self-healing, plant seeds for the growth of inner peace, and especially benefits all sentient beings and the environment.

The project

The project involves the creation of 360 prayer wheels to be placed on a footpath surrounding the Temple of Heaven on Earth and the Sacred Stupa of Drubwang Lama Gangchen Rinpoche. 

The prayer wheels, made of wooden and metal cylinders mounted on a central axis, are filled with mantras — printed and rolled according to ancient tradition.

Our prayer wheels will be made by combining this ancient tradition with modern techniques: the structure and the wheels themselves, made by local craftsmen in Italy, will be waterproof to ensure durability and smooth functioning. Each wheel will then be covered by hand-crafted copper realised by craftsmen in Nepal, who have been making these objects for centuries, respecting both the original tradition and aesthetics.

The important phase of filling the prayer wheels with rolls of printed mantras will be done by anyone who wishes to help, offering everyone a joyful opportunity to practise karma yoga.

The Mani Khorlam path will be 1.20 m wide and have a white granite stone base. The path will be flanked by protective supports and railings with sacred decorations.