Himalayan Singing Bowls singing bowls

The Art of Making the Singing Bowls

by TOK TAMANG April 06, 2019

The art of making these authentic, Himalayan Singing Bowls dates back many centuries and has been part of the shamanic Bon and the Buddhist tradition for hundreds of years. The traditional art of making them is called Astha Dhatu, where eight different metals—including tin, copper, gold, and bronze—are forged into shape with simple tools and sacred intention. Using a secret formula, each bowl is heated in the fire and hammered into shape, over and over, until the perfect shape is achieved.

Each bowl is carefully crafted to make sure it produces the most balancing sounds and harmonies. With fine-tuned ears, the craftsperson makes sure each bowl has the right balance of male and female tones, as well as the right high and low tones, so it can produce the most curative and soothing sounds possible.

The artisans making these bowls today are proud craftspeople earning an above fair trade wage so that they can comfortably support their families and villages.

These Himalayan Singing Bowls are from the collection of Tok Tamang and his family in Nepal, where he learned the sacred art of using them from his father, Kashi Ram Tamang.

Already at the age of seven, Tok would spend hours learning how to entice the singing bowls into producing their powerful and magical sounds. Both earthy and celestial, both healing and meditative, these sounds would transport him into an inner state of peace and joy he had never before experienced.