Glorious & Incredibly Rare Huge Antique Temple Ultabati-Lingam Singing Bowl – Sheer Perfection!

This wonderful 19th Century Ultabati-Lingam Singing Bowl is sheer perfection and ranks among my top 5 bowls ever for its rarity, looks, condition, and sound.  It is undoubtedly one of the finest bowls of its kind in the world today and a rare treasure that will be very difficult to part with.

Antique Ultabati bowls come from Bangladesh and are extremely rare and difficult to source, even more so for large examples.  And large Ultabati-Lingams like this are the rarest of all.  It is only the third Ultabati-Lingam I have encountered in over 45 years of collecting rare bowls.  This particular bowl is exceptional in every respect…age, size, shape, quality, condition and musicality.  I cannot speak more highly of it.

This huge and beautiful Ultabati-Lingam has a fabulous virtually perfect pitch voice…a low second octave F2 (86Hz) when stuck with a padded mallet or played around the rim with a suede or wooden ringer.  It has masses of vibrant energy and will readily make the sacred OM sound with a heavy suede ringer.  It is extremely responsive and easy to play.    

The average diameter of an antique Ultabati is around 10 inches, and a Lingam about 6 inches.  This Ultabati-Lingam has a massive diameter of 11 ½ inches, and weighs 1.94 kilos.  This is half the weight of some Ultabati and Jambati bowls with the same diameter, and therefore is more comfortable to hold and play for an extended period.

This superior quality bowl It has been hand-forged to the highest possible standard, with equal attention being paid to its physical appearance and sound quality.  It is probably the most handsome of all my bowls.  The mottled surface of its external wall is particularly beautiful.  It has a gracefully curved wall with a scooped collar and shoulder, a downward-sloping grooved lip, and a rounded bottom.  The boundary between the collar and the area below is defined by a pair of parallel lines. The superb lingam at its centre is surrounded and defined by two sets of circles, with a matching navel or yoni underneath.

This important bowl exhibits clear evidence of ritual and ceremonial use.  There are ritual or magical gashes around the scooped collar which I believe to be associated with the bowl’s initiation.  This is the first time I have seen them on an Ultabati bowl.  And the black marks around the naval strongly suggest that this bowl has served a magical safe-keeping role to ensure that a pregnancy goes full term.  In some Himalayan cultures the bowl would be a wedding gift and its navel or yoni would be sealed off during pregnancy, and opened again after the birth.  

This beautiful bowl is thought to date from the 19th century.  It is in exceptional museum quality condition, clean and stain-free.  It has a fabulous mottled golden bronze surface and colour and is extremely aesthetically and sonically beautiful.  It is quite likely that this superior quality bowl served an important ceremonial purpose and was commissioned by or for a Temple or Monastery.

A huge and wonderful example of this rare bowl form that would grace any collection!  Simply perfection!  

A large Tibetan silk brocade bowl cushion, a padded striker, and 2 ringers are all included in the price.

Note: Audio clips coming soon.

Note: The high price reflects what I originally had to pay to acquire such a fabulous and unique bowl, and its rarity and desirability among singing bowl practitioners, collectors and investors in the world today.  If you want one of the finest and rarest antique singing bowls in the world, and can afford it, this is it!