Prayer Wheels are widely used in Tibet and areas where Tibetan culture

Tibetan culture

Tibetan culture developed under the influence of a number of factors. Contact with neighboring countries and cultures- including Nepal, India and China - have influenced the development of Tibetan culture, but the Himalayan region's remoteness and inaccessibility have preserved distinctive local...

 is predominant.

Hand prayer wheel

The most common form of these objects are hand prayer wheels (Tibetan ma ni lag ´khor ) which consist in a metal cylinder and a handle which also serves as axis around which the cylinder can revolve, being set in motion by a small weight which is attached to it by a string or chain. The cylinder contains a paper roll on which Buddhist texts are printed. The persons who use these instruments believe that by setting the prayer wheel in motion praying is done automatically.

Other forms of prayer wheels

Apart from hand prayer wheels there exist large size fixed prayer wheels which are often aligned around Buddhist shrines and are set in motion by pilgrims who circum-ambulate the building in a clockwise direction. Prayer wheels larger than human size are to be seen in separate rooms in lamaist temples and can also be set in motion by pilgrims. With the help of a small bell the number of revolutions can be counted. The cylinders of fixed prayer wheels are often inscribed with the formula “Om mani padme hum

Om mani padme hum

is the six syllabled mantra particularly associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteshvara , the bodhisattva of compassion...

” (meaning “jewel in the lotus”) in ornamental Lantsa (Ranjana

Ranjana

Ranjana can stand for:* Ranjana script - an abugida writing system developed as a derivate of Brāhmī in 11th century* Ranjana Deshmukh - a Marathi actress who dominated the Marathi silver screen in the 70s and 80s...

) letters.
Prayer wheels (perhaps more appropriately called “prayer mills”) which are set in motion by wind or water power are also known.

Origin of prayer wheels

Some experts believe that the prayer wheels evolved from revolving octagonal Chinese bookcases which are recorded already for the 9th century. This assumption is supported by the existence of octagonal prayer wheels in Mongolia

Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...

.