Ranchi, May 18: A six-day rudraksha exhibition, aimed at making people aware of different varieties of rudraksha beads, began in the capital today.
Rudraksha is regarded as a symbol of spirituality in India. They are seeds of a fruit grown in a particular variety of trees in lower Himalayan range of India and Nepal besides Indonesia and Malaysia. The trees are as big as banyan trees.
Rudralife, a Mumbai-based organisation has organised the exhibition. Founded about four years ago, it conducts research on the rudraksha beads. The show will help people identify the natural beads that help develop self-confidence, regulate blood pressure and control anxiety and stress, said the organisers.
Twenty-three varieties of rudrakshas are on display at the exhibition. Of them, 21 varieties are named after the number of edges (Mukh), like like Ek-Mukhi, Dwi-mukhi, Tri-mukhi, and so on up to Ekbinsha-mukhi. The other two varieties are Gaurishanker and Ganesh Rudraksha.
Price of each rudraksha bead ranges between Rs 50 and Rs 36,000 depending on its nature and availability in the market. The Panch-mukhi rudrakshas are the cheapest, while the Chaturdash-mukhis are the most expensive.
One of the major highlights of the exhibition is the Indra Mala, a garland having all varieties of rudraksha beads.
Siddha Mala, a combination of one to 14 mukhi rudrakshas, also has Gaurishanker and Ganesh rudraksha.
The most interesting person associated with the exhibition is Kapil Khanna, a rudraksha expert, who helped people identify original and duplicate rudrakshas with the help of X-ray plate and visual verification. He also explained how a fraud could convert Panch-mukhi rudraksha into duplicate Shat (six) or Sapta-mukhi with the help of blades.
It was unique experience for those who visited the exhibition. ?I have never seen such a huge collection of rudrakshas,? said Anju Sinha, while gathering information from Khanna about the impact of different varieties of spiritual beads on human beings.
This is the first time the Rudralife has organised such an exhibition in the state.
