A. Sutherland – AncientPages.com – Enigmatic small amulets known as’ thokchas’ (thogchags) are made of iron, meteoric iron, or, as Tibetans say, “sky metal” or “sky-iron” denote tektites and meteorites, which are often high in iron content.
Tibetan thokcha, showing crouching lion in centre. Credit: Clemensmarabu – CC BY-SA 3.0
“Thogcha,” heavenly iron or sky iron, has been used by Tibetans for thousands of years to create small talismans with a strong connection to the sky. Their tradition is much older than the Buddhistic tradition in Tibet and has its beginning in the pre-Buddhist period of Tibet.