In a second that fantastically encapsulates the deep cultural ties between India and Japan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was introduced with a conventional Daruma doll throughout his go to to the Shorinzan Daruma-Ji Temple in Kitakatsuragi, Japan, on Friday, August 29, 2025. The sacred present was bestowed by Rev. Seishi Hirose, the chief priest of the temple, including profound non secular significance to the diplomatic gesture.
It represents a confluence of shared non secular heritage that traces again over 1,500 years, connecting the birthplace of Buddhism in India to its flourishing traditions in Japan. For India, this second represents recognition of its position because the birthplace of Buddhism and its persevering with affect on world spirituality.
What’s the Daruma doll?
The Daruma doll is certainly one of Japan’s most recognisable cultural artifacts, simply identifiable by its distinctive spherical, hole kind that’s gifted and broadly accessible in purple. Present in houses, workplaces, and temples throughout the nation, these dolls have change into synonymous with willpower, success, and the relentless pursuit of objectives.
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The doll represents the favored Japanese proverb ‘Nana korobi ya oki,’ which interprets to ‘fall seven occasions, stand up eight,’ representing the facility of resilience.
The Indian connection
The story of the Daruma doll begins not in Japan, however relatively in historic India, with a exceptional monk named Bodhidharma. In response to Tierra Zen, “Bodhidharma was an Indian or Persian monk recognized for his basic position within the unfold of Zen Buddhism.”
Bodhidharma’s journey from India to China, and finally his non secular affect reaching Japan, represents certainly one of historical past’s most vital cultural transmissions. “Being the founding father of Zen, Bodhidharma, or Daruma, is a highly regarded determine in Japan and a recurring theme in artwork. His bodily options, so unique for an Oriental, and the anecdotes of his legend make his representations simply recognisable,” notes Tierra Zen.
What’s a Daruma doll? (Supply: PMO by way of PTI Picture)
Legend has it that Bodhidharma spent 9 years in meditation dealing with a wall on the Shaolin Temple in China, demonstrating such unwavering willpower that his legs atrophied from lack of use. This extraordinary show of persistence and non secular dedication turned the inspiration for the Daruma doll’s armless, legless kind.
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The doll’s spherical, weighted backside permits it to return to an upright place when knocked over, bodily embodying the precept of resilience and restoration from setbacks.
Cultural significance in fashionable Japan
As we speak, Daruma dolls have transcended their spiritual origins to change into integral elements of Japanese well-liked tradition. They seem in varied colors, every carrying particular meanings: purple for success and prosperity, white for love and concord, gold for wealth and success, and inexperienced for well being and health.
Politicians, enterprise leaders, college students, and strange residents alike flip to Daruma dolls throughout vital events. The dolls have change into common symbols of willpower and optimism in Japanese society.
