Mundamala, Chinnamundamala, Kapalamala

Although the distinction between these Sanskrit terms is not always made by translators, the chinnamunda mala (Tib., dbu bcad ma 'phreng ba) is a mala (rosary, garland, necklace) made from freshly severed human heads, whereas the mundamala (Tib., mi mgo skam po'i 'phreng ba) or kapalamala is made from human skulls. Both items are either worn around the neck or carried in hand.

In Tibetan Buddhism, both mundamala and kapalamala are attributes of some Dharmapala's and/or other fierce or wrathful deities; signifying their readyness to kill enemies of the religion. These garlands belong to the so-called six Charnel Ground Ornaments.

In the Hindu tradition, both items occur in depictions of deities such as Bhairava, Chamunda, Dhumavati and Kali. In the latter case, the mala often counts 50 heads or skulls and is then representative of the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet. When worn by Shiva, the mundamala is also simply called shivamala.

The illustration shows a kapalamala of 21 skulls carried in one of several hands of a blue-skinned deity.

A related object is the shavamala of the Hindu tradition, sometims found with Chamunda, Kali and other deities. In this case, the "garland" consists of a number of complete corpses (Skt., sava).