Wonderful Rare Extra-Thick Antique Lingam Singing Bowl with 2 Inscriptions!

This rare and wonderful Antique Lingam Singing Bowl has a fabulous powerful Eb4 fundamental (306Hz) when struck with a padded mallet or played around the rim with a suede or wooden ringer.  The Eb4 is sometimes accompanied by an A5 (857Hz) harmonic when played  around the rim with a wooden ringer.

All Lingam bowls are rare, and inscribed ones even more so.  They indicate the high esteem in which a bowl was held by a former keeper.  Sometimes they are the owners name, and sometimes a dedication praising God, or honoring a deity or temple.  Sadly, most inscriptions are in an unidentifiable Himalayan languages and scripts and impossible to translate.  However, they always add interest and value to a bowl.

This antique bowl is virtually unique in bearing 2 inscriptions…one dot-punched and the other engraved.  The dot-punched one is probably the older of the two as it is quite faint due to the bowl’s surface being worn down with long use.  They appear to be in different languages and scripts.  The incised one looks like an old form of Farsi, but its meaning is unknown.  It’s interesting to reflect and speculate upon why a bowl might carry two inscriptions, especially from different cultures and in different languages.

This beautifully crafted superior quality bowl has extra thick walls that would have been quite difficult to forge.  Its high-sided wall subtly flairs towards the rim.  It has a flat bottom and a grooved lip. Tiny dots decorate the outer rim, and a single line encircles the lower wall.  Some tiny inclusions can be seen underneath the bowl.  Inclusions are specs of dust or grit that were accidentally included in the molten alloy during its manufacture, and manifest as pimples on the bowl’s surface.  They bear witness to the craftsman’s basic working environment, and add interest.

Multiple decorative circles surround and define the pointed lingam at its centre, and underneath the naval or yoni has been partially filled-in or plugged.  In some Himalayan cultures, especially the Islamic, Lingam bowls were/are family heirlooms gifted to a bride on marriage, and later, when she falls pregnant, the bowl’s yoni is ritually plugged to magically ensure that the pregnancy goes full-term.  Later, after giving birth, the plug might be removed, or left in place.  This bowl’s plugged yoni adds considerably to its life story.

This bowl, circa 1800, has considerable presence and the look and feel of purpose and great antiquity.  It is in excellent structural condition, clean and unblemished, with a glorious matt brownish-gold colour and aged patina.

This antique Lingam is a unique treasure!  It has a beautiful shape, an excellent voice, 2 different inscriptions, and a plugged safe-keeping yoni.  What more could one wish for from a singing bowl!

If you are looking for a really special bowl that is not too heavy or large I highly recommend this one!  Expensive, but rare and very Collectable!

A Tibetan silk brocade bowl cushion, a padded striker, and a double-ended teak and suede ringer are all included in the price.