9 Types of Tibetan Singing Bowl and Their Unique Feature

The Tibetan Singing Bowl is one of the well-known Buddhist ritual items. It’s also known as the “Himalayan” Singing Bowl. It’s in a bowl shape. The singing bowl is a traditional musical instrument of Buddhist that creates an auspicious sound or vibration. The vibration and sound are formed by friction. The sound is produced by hitting in the corner of the bowl with a mallet and rubbing the bowl at a certain moment.

It’s mostly made of brass, zinc, iron, copper, and the mallet is made of wood wrapped in a soft cloth. This singing bowl is used in spiritual practice and a Buddhist ceremony. Many monks and lamas used this singing bowl while meditation and chanting mantra. It’s also used in therapy and used for relaxation, and many purposes. It’s believed that the sound produced from a singing bowl helps to purify the negative energy.

There are different singing bowls you can find. Their shape and size can be different. Each bowl has various tones & sounds, and each bowl is used for different purposes. So here are the 9 types of Tibetan singing bowl and their unique features.

9 Types of Tibetan Singing Bowl and Their Unique Feature

Jambati Singing Bowl

Jambati Bowl is one of the types of Singing Bowl. This bowl was founded back in the 18th Century. Majorities of Buddhist people used this bowl to store grain. This bowl is heavy and one of the simple singing bowls. Jamabati bowl is a hand-beaten bowl. It’s designed in a u-curved shape and has a thick rim. It can be used in a healing treatment, including chakra balance and sound bathing. It can emit a very low long-lasting tone.

Unique Features

• Vocals range up to 4 octaves.
• Weight approx. 1.65kg.
• Used for storing grains, Chakra balancing, sound bathing, meditation, etc.

Thadobati Singing Bowl

The term “thado” means “Straight.” Thadobati has unique features because its surface is a smooth and flat bottom. The singing bowl of Thadobati has straight walls and a large flat base. The medium-sized bowls are made of plain rim whose width is equal to the wall itself. This bowl carries positive vibes and energy. Compared to the jambati singing bowl, it’s deeper. It’s one of the ancient singing bowls in the market.

Unique Features

• Weight up to 800gm to 800gm.
• Vocals range up to 5 octaves.
• Used for chakra healing, relaxation, Meditation, Yoga, etc.

Ultabati Singing Bowl

The Ultabati bowl is characterized by the fact that the bowl’s side is bent below the rim. These bowls are not very popular and are hard to find in better tone quality. The remaining part is rugged with hammer marks. The bowl is lightly brushed inside, and the lower side of the collar is blackened or mottle.

Sometimes they are used to store grain. Ultabati is also used in ceremonies, musical feasts, and ritual usage. The bowls of Ultabati have the same low tones as the Jambati ones.

Unique Features

• Weight is approx 1.1kg.
• Vocals Range up to 2 and 3 octaves.
• Used for meditation, musical purpose, grain storage, etc.

Remuna Singing Bowl

It is renowned for its lightness, strong sounds, and long vibrations. The shape and timbre of the Remuna singing bowl are similar to Thadobati. Remuna has sloping walls inwards. A different distinction is that Remuna is thinner than Thadobati. They are very popular for sound healing, meditation, and yoga because of their lightness and heavy tones.

Unique Features

• Vocals range up to 3 to 4 octaves.
• Weight 780gm.
• Used for yoga, meditation, sound healing therapy, etc.

Manipuri Singing Bowl

The term “Manipuri” basically comes from northeast India. Manipuri bowls are used primarily for relaxing. It can be thick or slim, smooth or heavily decorated, but they all have a low profile and slightly rounded surface.

The rim is gently spread. In ancient times, these bowls were considered a precious object offered to others as a token of love, devotion, gratitude, and preserved them like gold and silver, in modern times. This bowl has a mild sound.

Unique Features

• Vocals range up to 3 to 4 octaves.
• Weight approx 380gm
• Used for relaxation, offering, meditation, etc.

Lingam Singing Bowl

The singing bowls of Lingam are marked by a lingam in the center of the inner bowl. Singing bowls of lingam are among the rarest singing bowls of the Himalayas. It’s known as a masculine form; the lingam within the bowl’s base is a slight protrusion of the cone. It’s believed that it was founded back in the 16th century. The hand-made bowls have smooth sides, and the lips are stretched to the bowl inward.

Lingam bowls have an overall high intensity and long-lasting echo and sounds. This design of a bowl is difficult to find because of its esthetic appeal and unique tone. This bowl is used for spiritual and ceremonial purposes.

Unique Features

• Vocals range up to 4 octaves.
• Weight up to 1.9kg
• Used for chakra healing, deep meditation, yoga, relaxation, positive energy, etc.

Mani Singing Bowl

Mani bowl is well known as “Mudra.” These unusual singing bowls have thick, smooth bottoms and are broader in the center than the bottom or rim. The lips are stretched out and faces inside the bowl. Monks also carry it in hand with a certain mudra.

Monks used this bowl to take offerings from other people. Mani bowls normally generate a high tone with just one distinct overtone. These bowls normally play by rubbing the rim very easily.

Unique Features

• Vocals range up to 5 to 6 octaves.
• Weight approx 1.53kg
• Used for the heart chakra, healing, relaxation, meditation, and taking donations.

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Pedestal/Naga Singing Bowl

The Naga bowl itself and a circular metal band or pedestal on which the bowl is firmly and permanently placed are forged in two parts. The bowl has a rounded base and does not stand erect without the pedestal support. They are well decorated. Inscriptions on pedestal bowls are popular. Some of the inscription bowls are used for Tibetan rituals, and others indicate that the bowl is a present.

Unique Features

• Vocals range up to 3 octaves, and 4 octaves are rare to find.
• Weight approx 1.13kg
• Used for the present, spiritual use, meditation, etc

Trapezoid Singing Bowl

The trapezoid bowls are sloped straight and symmetrically on the side with a flat bottom and a direct peak, with the ideal Trapezoid shown on the side. They also seem to be produced with identical characteristics, several parallel external lines, and classes. It comes in a different size.

Unique Features

• Vocal range up to 3 to 5 octaves
• Basic Weight 1131 gm
• Used for Storing water, ceremonies, meditation.

Conclusion

Hence, all the singing bowls are used for meditation, relaxation, chakra healing, and other purposes. Only shape, size, structure, and sound are different. Here you will get to know about the 9 types of Tibetan Singing bowl and their unique features.

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