Monk’s portable fan talapatta,

These rare ecclesiastical ‘fans’ were originally simply made of palm leaf but later of cloth. Known as a talapatta, this kind of portable screen incorrectly referred to as a fan, is used by monks to focus the mind and disengage from the outside world. Besides this function, these fans are also signifiers of rank among the Buddhist religious community. The fan on display, with its beautiful and delicate carved ivory handle and finial, would have been assigned to the highest rank, the Royal Chapter (Dharma), normally members of the royal family.