A stamp in Devanagari script on the bottom of the box; the first letter is indistinct, then "..numan", possibly meaning "Hanuman". The mantra box is given to the student by his teacher. The mantra (sacred syllable) is whispered into the pupil's ear and then kept in the box. It must never be opened (see Mallebrein p. 180). The decoration on the lid is typical of a mantra box. The circles and the central dot represent cosmic energy. "All Indian ritual practices are linked to the vision of a rhythmical, cyclical order - the lila or "play" of the universe. The chief goal of ritual worship is to experience this order, to feel the interrelation of all phenomena, to make the transition from an egocentric to a cosmocentric outlook - to merge self in the whole. Through a dynamic process of awakening and self-liberation, one may ultimately discover one's true identity, which is a state of ananda - transcendent bliss or joy" (see A. Mookerjee, pp. 152-53). Literature: Cornelia Mallebrein, Die Anderen Götter. Volks- und Stammesbronzen aus Indien, Cologne 1983, p. 180 Ajit Mookerjee, Ritual Art of India, New Delhi, London 1985 (Thames and Hudson), pp. 152-153