Mani stone carvings at Losar

Mani stones are stone plates or rocks inscribed with mantra as a form of prayer in Tibetan Buddhism. Mani stones are intentionally placed along the roadsides and rivers or placed together to form long walls or cairns, as an offering to spirits. These walls are generally found before and after the start of every Buddhist village. The practice of carving Mani stones is slowly dwindling and there are hardly a few people who actually practise this craft as Spiti slowly moves towards development.
Along the paths of regions under the influence of Tibetan Buddhism, the traveller is often confronted with Mani walls. These Mani stone structures are mostly inscribed with the inscription ‘Om Mani Padme Hum’. These Mani walls should be passed or circumvented from the left side (to bring good luck), in the clockwise direction in which the earth and the universe revolve, according to Buddhist rituals.

The people of Losar have realised the rapid loss of culture and are now ensuring that youngsters learn this art. There are workshops held near the monastery in Losar where locals congregate and make various kinds of coloured Mani stones. It is akin to watching the entire culture of Spiti at close hands as Losar is the biggest village in all of Spiti Valley.