This ornate incense burner was hand carved and painted in Kathmandu.  It features two beautiful deer on the front and a small drawer that pulls open on the side for storing incense.  The symbolic meaning of a doe is harmony, happiness, faithfulness, peace and longevity.  There are Tibetan tales that tell of deer species so compassionate that they would come and try to resolve any conflict that arose.  When two deer are shown, it is usually the male and female and refers to the first teaching which Buddha gave in the Sarnath Deer Park near Varanasi, where he set in motion the "first turning of the wheel of dharma."

Measures approximately 11 inches long by 5 inches tall and 3 inches wide.