Rare Superior Quality High-Sided Antique Lingam Singing Bowl – Inscribed ‘Mahatma’

This is a rare and exquisite example of a superior quality antique Lingam Singing Bowl.   It is beautifully proportioned and has great aesthetic appeal  with its high-sided and gracefully curved walls, flat bottom, and thick grooved lip.  There is a pointed Lingam at its centre surrounded by circles, with a matching yoni or navel underneath.

Two parallel bands of dots decorate the outer rim, but the etched lines that once encircled its belly and lower down the wall have been worn down and all but vanished with the passage of time.  However, It has a particularly attractive exterior with three distinctly different bands of surfaces finish.

The small inscription engraved on the outer wall is in Farsi and translates into Mahatma…a person venerated for spirituality and high-mindedness, and used as a title of respect for such a person.  Very few bowls carry inscriptions. They always add interest and are a sign of the high esteem in which a bowl was held by a former keeper.

This beautiful antique singing bowl, circa 1800, has a lovely middle octave C4 fundamental (268Hz) when struck with a padded mallet or played around the rim with a suede or wooden ringer.

It is structurally sound, clean and stain-free, with slight surface pitting inside and attractive aged patina.

A Tibetan silk brocade bowl cushion and a ringer are included in the price.

A rare and really lovely antique Lingam Singing Bowl!