By Trishna Nirmala
Shapes
When you compare a number of singing bowls by putting them next to each other, it is clear that there are many different shapes and sounds. Most bowls are more or less golden in color. They are round, but the ratio of the circumference and depth changes.
There are quite shallow, wide dishes, which are small or medium in size. There are bowls which are round and made more deeply. There are small-based bowls and broad-based bowls, and there are even totally flat-based bowls, made with an upright side.
Some bowls have a stand so that they have a chalice shape. They are usually quite small and rather rare. A so-called 'bottle' base, which stands up to the bowl with concave bowls is used mainly in India. They are thinner than a normal bowl, produce a different sound from the 'Himalayan bowls'.
Sound and tone
Thickness of the material used and the color varies from the bowl to bowl. A bowl colored glowing gold with material quite thin, round in shape and made quite small is usually a Japanese bowl. They often produce a tone clear as a bell.
Sound is determined by shape and thickness of the material, as well as the thickness of the rim. Color has no effect on the sound. A remnant layer of dull black varnish found on bowls is meant to be there and does not interfere with the sound. If you buy a bowl matte, polishing it can affect the sound. By polishing the bowl, you have removed a thin layer of material so that the thickness of the metal is permanently changed
Decoration
Most bowls are decorated in some way, for example, rings, stars, dots, or with the pattern of the leaves. Sometimes there is an inscription on the outside. This Devangiri script which is used generally in Nepal, indicates the owner's name.
Sometimes writing is in Tibetan, and this too refers to the name of the owner, or the name of the ceremony for which it was used. A Devangiri inscription suggests that the Tibetan singing bowls and bowls are generated in Nepal.
It is known that the Tibetan refugees in Nepal earn their living by their traditional activities - ie, business. They not only traded goods they brought with them, but also articles which they found in their host country.
In any case, it is likely that bowls with Devangiri inscriptions come from Nepal.
Calendar bowls
Decorated bowls may be so-called 'calendar bowls'; for example, the decoration can represent a lunar calendar or Jupiter's calendar. The precise method of us of calendar bowls is not known any longer, but it is likely that the bowl's sound and the motion of a few drops of water in it showed which heavenly powers were present on that day, and which was the most auspicious day to use the bowl; therefore, it would only 'sing' most effectively on its specific astrological date.
Egyptian culture, for example, closer to home, still represents a partially unsolved puzzle. This kind of knowledge and sensitivity was known to the Celtic Druids. Perhaps there is a way for singing bowls to revive this lost consciousness.
When trying to identify one's own singing bowl, it may be difficult - and perhaps not achievable - to determine if it is actually a calendar bowl (although you can always make a guess based on the signs which are visibly inscribed on the bowl) and which planet the calendar is concerned with, and how it can be used.
Fountain bowls
Some bowls, especially those engraved with a pattern of rings, stars, or leaves may react as Chinese fountain bowls. When they are filled with water to the engraved ring, then vibrated by striking or rubbing them, you may see one or more fountains. If a star shape appears on the water, which then grows into a fountain in the middle appears, the bowl is called a 'star bowl'.
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