Deva Seetharam reminded me of an old project and we started talking about how prayer wheels could be appropriated for new purposes. Traditional prayer wheels are cylinders containing written mantras that are spun to recite the wishes within. They can be spun by hand, but some traditional prayer wheels are designed to be spun by water-power (above) or wind-power (below). These sustainable prayer wheels have inspired additional green projects: a solar-powered prayer wheel that runs on photovoltaic panels, and more recently an electricity-generating wind turbine in the form of a prayer wheel made from a reclaimed oil drum. The traditional form helps the windmill fit in with the local culture and scenery, and maybe the power generated carries some of the wheel’s mantras through the electric grid as well as into the wind.
