Prayer Wheel Sizes
When ordering a custom prayer wheel it is important to think about what size is right for you. The information here is designed to help with that and to give you an idea of the size that will best fit your needs. When ordering a prayer wheel, it’s best to think about how you will most use it and choose the size based on that use. The larger it is, the more mantras or prayers it will contain, and the heavier and more difficult to transport it will be. So if you use it only in one location, the weight and bulk of a larger size wheel will be less of a concern for you. In this case it may be better to choose a bigger size with more prayers inside. If you often take your prayer wheel to different places with you, or plan to travel with it, a smaller size will likely better suit your needs.
Handheld Prayer Wheel Sizes:
- Mini– Between 2.75 and 3 inches in Diameter and 8-8.5 inches total height (includes handle). The handle size is 4.5-4.75 inches. It contains between 36-42 million mantras.
The mini is designed for portability and ease of use. It is perfect for people who take their prayer wheel everywhere with them, people with small hands, children or people who like a light prayer wheel.
- Standard- About 3.2-3.4 inches in Diameter and 9-9.5 inches in total Height (includes handle). The handle is about 5.25 inches tall. It contains between 58-65 million mantras.
Our standard size was developed over many years to find the perfect balance of size, weight, portability while still holding plenty of mantras and prayers inside. This is the size the majority of our customers prefer. It is small enough to be portable and light enough to spin for hours, yet contains lots of mantras inside and is aesthetically balanced. This is the size our teacher H.E. Garchen Rinpoche currently spins.
- Large- About 3.6 to 4.2 in Diameter and 12 inches in total height(includes handle). The handle is around 7.5 inches long. It contains between 120 and 140 million mantras.
Our large size is best for those who want over 100 million mantras and don’t mind the extra size and weight to achieve it. This size is still somewhat portable, but isn’t small enough to fit into a small purse or a jacket pocket. It has over 100 million mantras inside and is a great aid to your meditation practice. The handle is longer than our other sizes so it can be easily rested on something while spinning it (like the floor, a table or your knee) to make spinning it for longer periods of time easier. It is a great size to keep next to your meditation cushion to spin while sitting.
- Extra Large-About 6-6.5 inches in diameter and 20-22 inches in height. The handle is 12-14 inches long (depending on your size and preference). It contains an astonishing 500-600 million mantras!
There is nothing portable about this model. It is large and heavy, yet surprisingly easy to spin for hours. The long handle makes it easy to rest on something while spinning it, so you don’t support it’s substantial weight yourself while spinning it. It is designed to sit perfectly next to you while meditating, with the bottom of the long handle resting on the floor, and be easily spun. It contains an astonishing number of mantras and is a powerful spiritual tool for enhancing prayer and meditation. Great to have in any home, shrine or meditation room!
Table Top Prayer Wheel Sizes
- Small- About 5 inches in Height and 4-4.25 inches in Diameter. Contains 120-140 million mantras.
This is a great size for a bedside table, coffee table or office desk. Small enough to be unobtrusive and compact but containing as many mantras as our Large Handheld prayer wheel. A perfect size to add the blessing, mindfulness and intention created by a prayer wheel into a room or workplace without being too obtrusive or taking up to much space.
- Medium – About 8-9 inches in Height and 5.5-6 inches in Diameter. Contains between 280-300 million mantras.
Our medium size was designed to be small enough to still fit on a countertop or table but contain a larger amount of mantras. I enjoy having one on my kitchen counter, where I spin it when I walk by many times throughout the day, reminding me to be mindful of my spiritual practice. This size is also ideal to keep next to your meditation cushion if you prefer the tabletop style to the handheld style of prayer wheel.
- Large- The large size is about 12-13 inches high and 7.25-8.5 inches in Diameter. Contains about 1.5 billion mantras.
This size prayer wheel contains an incredible amount of mantras. This powerful prayer wheel is meant to be kept somewhere prominent where it will get spun often. This size is not very portable and takes up a bit of space on a table, counter or shelf. It is perfect for keeping in a meditation hall or in a prominent place in your home where its powerful call to mindfulness, prayer and loving compassion will pervade the space.
- Meru- This massive prayer wheel is 17-20 inches in Height and 12-14 inches in Diameter! It can contain between 2.1 billion and 4.2 billion mantras, depending on the specifications.
This is the largest size prayer wheel we can make that can still be shipped without special freight. It is named after Mt.Meru, the central great mountain of existence in Buddhist cosmology. Because of the weight and momentum, it spins for a very long time once it gets going. Very large, it requires a sturdy table or shrine to be kept on and takes up a good amount of space. It is too heavy to be considered easily portable, so it’s best to find a long-term home for it before ordering one. It is ideal for those who want the maximum benefit of huge numbers of mantras in their home or space. Some of these have been placed in Buddhist temples, where they are spun often and are very popular.
An important note on our Prayer Wheel Sizes:
We hand make every prayer wheel one at a time with mindfulness. We try to make our sizes as consistent as possible and they will always be close to the sizes listed. However, due to the unique woods we use and the process of hand shaping each one, the sizes will always vary a small amount. Every prayer wheel we make is slightly unique in size and shape. The dimensions above, including handle length, will vary slightly depending on the features of the prayer wheel.
For example: a special top design or a crystal top might add some extra height to what is listed here, or a specific shape requested might decrease or increase the diameter that is listed here slightly.
Mantra amounts also vary….the figures above are based on the prayer wheel containing the OM MANI PADME HUNG mantra. Other mantras and prayers are different sizes and lengths. Read this microfilm article for more information: What is Microfilm???