Account of Water-driven Prayer Wheel

The Bhutanese landscape is dotted with religious monuments some of which symbolize the taming of the wild landscape and others the harnessing of natural forces for the higher cause of meritmaking. Bhutan's streams and brooks are often used to run prayer wheels. A cylinder of prayers are put around an axle which is turned in clockwise direction with the force of the water. The people who make or commission the prayer wheel decide what prayers are put in the cylinder. These prayer wheels and the structures which house them often come with a story of who built them and/or maintain. There would be also stories of how holy and effective they are in giving protection to the sentient beings.