Oh, is it? I thought it was used in tantric rituals. I saw it in a souvenir shop though.

In Bhutan, human skull is also often used as a container to keep blessed water during ritualistic ceremonies.

Right. I have gone through phases, where I have collected mugs, bookmarks, fridge magnets and masks. I am still to display all of them, so kind of gave up buying most ornamental things.

So true.. Every culture has something unique to it and part of it gets reflected in it’s art and crafts. That reminds me I have a couple of beautiful clay masks on one of my walls which I bought from one of the villages in Tamil Nadu near Kodaikanal. My little daughter was initially scared of it, now she refers her home as “the home of mask”

Neha, I am myself not a big shopper. I just buy things that are usable or consumable. Over years, have totally run out of space at home for more souvenirs. Having said that, I do enjoy markets – they are a representation of culture in more than one ways. Like at Bali – those carved skulls freaked me out initially but then I started looking at them as part of their culture.

In Bali, I did not see human skulls, like I mentioned I saw them in Bhutan.

Bali has souvenirs for every price range – in fact I tries covering souvenirs across price ranges.