Singing bowls are bronze bowls from Asia that sound like a bell. The oldest examples are about 1,000 years old from Nepal. They spread around Asia during the last several hundred years. Examples from Japan, Cambodia and Thailand are several hundred years old.
They are often called Tibetan singing bowls due to their origin in the Himalayan region but they were not made in Tibet.
Singing bowls are cherished because they make one of the nicest sounds in the world. They sound like nothing else: rich, deep, harmonious, musical and profound. There is something very special about the sound and the feeling of the physical vibration.
Singing bowls produce three tones at once: a fundamental (the lowest tone you hear), a mid harmonic overtone, and a high harmonic overtone. Sometimes a fourth very high tone can be heard. Other vibrations are present outside human hearing range, as seen on an oscilloscope.
The vibration of the bowl can also be felt. By holding a bowl or placing it on the body, you can really feel the vibration. It is a very soothing sensation, similar to a cat purring or a gentle touch.
The combined effect of the multiphonic tone and wonderful vibration creates a special experience. The effect is immediately relaxing and calming. Most people smile the first time they hear them and instinctively reach out to touch them. They are truly wonderful objects. They also improve the environment. They clear out stray vibrations, making any room feel peaceful and nice.
The entire history, manufacturing process, traditional and modern usage of singing bowls can be found in my book, The Singing Bowl Book, available in paperback, hardcover and kindle editions Here.
Singing bowls are associated with certain sects of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. They are found in Zen temples and on home shrines in Japan, Korea and Vietnam.
Singing bowls were rediscovered in Nepal in the late 20th century after a long period of disuse. Up to several thousand antique bowls were found in old stockpiles. As interest in the West grew, more were actively collected around the foothill villages. Today there are few real antiques left at the source and all those remaining are inferior quality, broken or reconditioned. The antiques are so valuable that in some cases, two broken bowls will be combined into one.
The antique singing bowls here in the Singing Bowl Museum were all collected from 1998-2014, when a plentiful supply of antiques was still available. Singing bowls were completely unknown until the 1970s and did not gain great popularity until after 2000. I was very fortunate to discover so many wonderful antiques still available and the supply has since become exhausted.
Due to the great popularity over the last 20 years, singing bowl manufacturing has matured in Nepal and they now produce singing bowls that are better quality than some antiques. Such high quality new singing bowls can be found at the company I founded but no longer operate, Himalayan Bowls
The ancient singing bowls from Nepal may have been associated with Theravada Buddhist sects who were expelled from Nepal in the 14th century or Mahayana Buddhist sects who gradually lost their following as Nepal became predominantly Hindu. When I collected the antique singing bowls, they were in disuse perhaps for centuries, collecting heavy layers of dust in dark storerooms.
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