Himalayan Singing Bowls (Tibetan Singing Bowls), Himalayan bells

About Himalayan Singing Bowls (Tibetan Singing Bowls)

These Himalayan singing bowls, often called Tibetan singing bowls, are from the magical Himalayas of India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. Some of the singing bowls are a century old or more. Himalayan singing bowls are made from an alloy of five or more metals which include bronze (an alloy of copper and tin), gold, silver, zinc and iron. This bell metal, or li as it is called in Tibetan, has different hues and tones depending on the varying proportions of metals in the individual bowl. There are also slight stylistic differences depending on where the singing bowl originates. We offer Himalayan bowls from Assam, Calcutta, and most recently from Orissa.

There are varying accounts of the original use of the singing bowls. We are conservative in our view, but confident that our 30+ year history of importing Himalayan singing bowls and bells gives us some credibility. We do not feel it is possible to state that a singing bowl is 15th or 16th c. - there are not stylistic features, as in statues, to help date a bowl. We also feel it is absurd to maintain they are used in secret lama rituals - there are too many of them available. What we do know to be true is that the singing bowls are traditionally filled with water, rice, food or flowers as offerings. In addition, our Tibetan bell-maker has told us that the old Tibetan singing bowls could be used to detect poison in food, and that the bowls were also placed on various parts of the body for healing.

Whatever the exact origin and use of the Himalayan singing bowls, their most treasured aspect for us today is the beautiful, complex tone, full of harmonics and overtones, produced when the bowl is struck or rubbed with a stick. The use of multitonal sounds to soothe, relax and heal dates back thousands of years. The harmonics of the sound help entrain the brain to a meditative frequency, making it easier to banish extraneous thoughts. In addition, legend has it that mantras recited as the singing bowls were made were absorbed into the metals and are released when the bowl is played.

Tibetan singing bowls can either be tapped gently with a mallet or rubbed around the rim with a playing stick to produce their tones. It may help to tap the bowl gently to begin their vibration.

All singing bowls come with a playing stick and information card. Mallets and cushions are also available.