$400,000 Prayer Beads

A Mumbai company is hawking a $400,000 rudrakshas, or prayer bead, necklace made from seeds of the rudrashka (Elaeocarpus ganitrus) tree.

“The rarest of the rare combination of rudrakshas makes the Indrakshi unique in terms of both its price and positive effects on its wearer,” says Tanay Seetha, founder of the Mumbai-based Rudralife, which markets exclusive rudrakshas.

Seetha claims the best rudrasha beads are found in Nepal: “The rudrakshas procured from Nepal satisfy all the quality standards. First, they are naturally spherical. Second, the beads have clear demarcations taken under consideration to determine the types and, lastly, they have a ‘chidra’ (small circular depression), which is otherwise hand-crafted in fake beads.”

The Indrakshi Mala features 28 beads. “It has the most precious of all the rudrakshas – the rare ‘Kuber’ Rudraksha also called 21-’mukhi’ (facetted). It also includes several other rare, naturally joined varieties of Rudrakshas like Gauri Shankar, Ganesh and Trijuti,” said Seetha.