Antique Singing Bowls

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Singing bowls have existed in this world since the ancient period. Originating from the foothills of the Himalayas, these Buddhist arts have found their way into the hearts and minds of people alongside other Buddhist arts like Buddha statues, Buddha images, thangka paintings, etc. due to their ability to produce harmonic overtones. Due to the origin of these bowls, these singing bowls are also famous by its other names such as Tibetan singing bowl, Himalayan singing bowl and Nepali singing bowls. 

The popularity of the singing bowls has risen in the recent few years, especially of the old and antique singing bowls. These antique singing bowls fulfill various purposes like that of meditation or decoration. These antique singing bowls present themselves as a beautiful addition to the homes of the collectors. Most of the collectors believe that the antique singing bowls have a higher quality of sound that cannot be recreated or duplicated by the newer or modern singing bowls. What makes these antique singing bowls so alluring that they are the newest and the most unique collectable instrument that have a very antique roots and value as long as the beauty of the old instrument.

The followers of Buddhism have used antique singing bowls for centuries as a perfect instrument to support meditation, prayers, chanting and religious ceremonies. The antique singing bowls are actually large, inverted bells that sits with the opening towards up. The harmonic overtones are produced when a wooden mallet is hit and rubbed around the rim of the bowls. These singing bowls were traditionally made from an alloy of seven metals; Copper, iron, zinc, tin, gold and silver. This mixture of metals creates a harmonic and calming overtones as each metal of the alloy produces their individual vibrations and tones. The alloy would be formed into a singing bowl by pouring the liquid mixture onto a flat rock followed by carefully hand hammered, an arduous process requiring skill and perseverance, as the metal is cooled.

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The calming yet self-discovering sound of the antique singing bowls is one of the reasons why they were and are still revered by the Buddhist community, temples and monasteries all over the world. As per the old records, antique singing bowls were used in the Buddhist monasteries across Tibet in many religious as well as spiritual activities. One of the main activities was that of meditation. The sound produced by the antique singing bowls complement the inner compassion of the user helping him or her to concentrate on the meditative process. Similarly, these bowls were and are still used in various religious ceremonies, prayer chants and rituals, as their sound is believed to have a connection towards the inner self in Buddhism. Furthermore, the ancient settlers of Tibet also use singing bowls for singing bowl healing or singing bowl therapy as the vibrating overtones contained many advantages related to treating ailments. The vibrating sound produced by antique singing bowls are known to have an astounding effect on the users health resulting into improved memory, immunity and blood pressure. Alongside these advantages, the antique singing bowls are also known to have been useful for relieving stress, depression and physical pain caused by various diseases and ailments like cancer. Similarly, the chakra singing bowls are used to heal different chakra related disorders as the sounds produced by these bowls realign the user’s chakras. This result into a better control of organs and the body as a whole.

The antique singing bowls hold some major differences from the modern singing bowls you find in the souvenir shops in Nepal, India and Tibet. The antique singing bowls are constructed using higher quality raw materials while often consisting of precious metals. Such high quality mixture gives the bowl a better sound. The antique singing bowls were made by expert craftsmen whose skills and knowledge had been transferred from generations to generations. This is also a reason why they are distinctively different from their modern counterparts. Also, due to the aging process, the tone and sound produced by the antique singing bowls are comparatively more soothing and calming than that of the modern and recreated singing bowls. The antique singing bowls were often engraved and inscribed with various prayer chants in either Devanagari or Tibetan script. The engravings are simple and sometimes are worn. The interior of the bowl may also house the design.

Due to the rarity, antique singing bowls are revered and sought after by the Buddhists, meditation enthusiasts and collectors alike. If you ever want to get your hands on these antique singing bowls, feel free to check our online singing bowls shop where you can choose the best possible singing bowl for yourself or as a gift for your loved ones.