Singing bowls have been made all across Asia and their legacy began over 1,000 years ago. The Himalayan singing bowls featured in The Singing Bowl Museum are likely the very first.
The earliest singing bowls share metallurgical, construction and decorative features with bronze bowls from ancient Persia and Khorasan. The early singing bowls were made and decorated the same way.
Later Himalayan singing bowls have metallurgy and construction in common with bronze bowls from Southeast Asia: Cambodia and Thailand.
Whether the Himalayan bowls came first or not is unknown. They were likely made concurrently, since they were living traditions passed from one maker to another. From these cultural connections discovered in the science lab, we know that the singing bowls originated before the 12th century and the later bowls were introduced in the 16th century.
In 2010, the Archaeological Metallurgists at Oxford University Department of Materials examined a group of my antique singing bowls, discovering that the early bowls are metallurgically related to ancient Persian and Khorasan bowls from the 9th-12th century, like this 11th century example.
Early singing bowls are not only metallurgically related, they also feature similar engravings and a unique method of folding the metal, considered a lost art. Since the Himalayan singing bowls seem slightly younger than their Persian counterparts, I place the start date for singing bowls in the 12th century although the real origin may be earlier.
Throughout antiquity, there have been many types of singing bowls made. However, there is a lot of duplication in each time period, indicating there may have been one dominant shop making most of the bowls at a time. There are a few standout types and a few examples that stand above the rest. The best singing bowls seem to have been made by a master maker, or family of master makers, producing all the best bowls.
A second wave of singing bowl technology was discovered by the metallurgical testing. These later bowls from the 16-19th centuries are related to similar bowls from Southeast Asia. These bowls are easier to produce and were made in much greater numbers. There are at least 10 times more late period antiques than early period antiques.
Today singing bowls have made a resurgence. The best hand hammered examples today rival the late period antiques. While they lack the warm, mellow quality and the antique presence of the real antiques, the best bowls produced today are heirloom quality and will be the fine antiques of tomorrow.
The secret of singing bowls has been revealed. Today they are well known for their ability to calm and focus the mind. They are found on shrines and in meditation rooms around the world. What will tomorrow bring?
To learn more about the history of singing bowls, pick up my book The Singing Bowl Book, available on Amazon Here. With 140 photos I took around Asia and in my studio, the book explains everything I know about the history, traditions and use of singing bowls.
