Rudraksha

This article is about the rudraksha fruit and beadwork made from its fruitstones. For the film, see Rudraksh (film).

A rudraksha (IAST: rudrākṣa) refers to the dried stones or seeds of the genus Elaeocarpus specifically, Elaeocarpus ganitrus. These seeds are used as prayer beads for Hindus (especially Shaivas) and Buddhists. When they are ripe, rudraksha stones are covered by a blue outer fruit so they are sometimes called "blueberry beads".

The stones are associated with the Hindu deity Shiva and are worn by believers for protection and for chanting mantras such as Om Namah Shivaya (Sanskrit: ॐ नमः शिवाय; Om Namaḥ Śivāya). They are primarily sourced from India, Indonesia, and Nepal for jewellery and malas (garlands) and valued similarly to semi-precious stones. Rudraksha can have ridges that are termed as "faces" (Sanskrit: मुख, romanized: mukha, lit. 'face') and some people associate each face with a particular deity.

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