STUNT PRICE! Old used ghurra, churning stick conductor, Nepal, 1940-50

Old utensil with a soul this old ghurra, churning rod holder. In the middle part 8 yak milk jugs are visible. Above that an abstract part with a geometric pattern. The ring at the bottom through which the churning stick is guided shows a beautiful patina of use and age. The cord is also still attached. This object has no stand but it does have a STUNT PRICE! (photo from situ obtained via Andrea Mordacci)

Length: 18 cm
Weight: 135 grams
Origin: Nepal
Date: 1940-50
Provenance: Obtained from own network in situ

( code A12)

More information about churning stick conductors:

For centuries the Nepalese mountain dwellers used the ghurra (churning stick conductor) as a tool to churn milk into butter. This ritual is based on the ancient Hindu myth, the Samudra Manthana: the churning of the primeval ocean by gods and demons. This myth not only tells the story of creation, but also depicts the battle between good and evil. By using the ghurra, the act of churning is transcended into a sacred event; the ritual confirmation of the Samudra Manthana. For the Nepalese, the churning process is 'darshan', a sacred time of day to be blessed by their gods. The decorations on the ghurras refer to the gods of the Hindu pantheon and are, as it were, the connecting signs to the intangible mystery of the universe. Ghurras are therefore an expression of a transcendent reality, hidden under the veil of observable reality.

Ghurras have a round shape at the bottom that represents the sun disk (chakra), symbol of Vishnu, the patron god of the country and the people of Nepal. The sun disk represents the miraculous power of the universal soul, which creates, maintains and destroys in all spheres of the universe. On the sun disk there is a mostly vertical extension in the form of a lingam, symbol of Shiva (the god of destruction and re-creation). This part is made up of symmetrical figures with symbolic elements. No detail in the representation is a personal invention, everything has a ritual meaning.

For information about the ghurras, use was made of the exhibition catalogue published in 2004: Ghurras, gods from the Himalaya - Nepalese folk art. Composition and editing Annemarie De Gendt and Paul De Smedt.