one of a finds: singing bowl

On a recent buying trip to New Delhi, we ventured into Old Delhi, basically in search of a needle in a haystack. Other than walking, a rickshaw is the only way to travel so I and a guide hopped on and rode through narrow alleys until we found a metal shop they knew.

Inside we went through countless small rooms on four floors that were littered with lanterns, bowls, sculptures and puppets—there must have been thousands of metal items—my head was spinning like a kid in a candy store.

On the top floor we saw stacks and piles of beautiful brass bowls—all different sizes and some filled with wooden mallets. My guide explained the beautiful story of the singing bowl and knew instantly we had discovered a one of a find.

This bronze meditation instrument is hand-hammered and hand-finished of pure bronze in a centuries-old Himalayan tradition believed to date back to the pre-Buddhist 10th to 12th centuries.

Now almost a lost art, this Himalayan singing bowl is handcrafted by village craftsmen in the West Bengal region of India, bordering Nepal and Bhutan.

To experience the bowl’s mesmerizing harmonic overtones, hold the bowl with your fingertips and arm slightly outstretched. Hold the the tip of the wood mallet and slowly spin it around the metal rim a few times to release a magical frequency. Namaste.

Comments

[Gordon Fink]

If only more than 65 people could hear about this!

[Informationi]

Thank you for wonderful information, I am interested in learning singing bowl, do you suggest any place in India or the place you have visited, so they teach it?