17th Century Bronze Temple Shrine Hanging Bell – D6

This bronze shrine bell dates from the 17th century and was sourced 40 years ago in Kathmandu for my own private collection.  Antique shrine bells like this are very hard to source nowadays, and only come onto the market when a temple or shrine has been destroyed by earthquake or dismantled to make way for new infrastructure.   

Of particular interest is the considerable wear to the top of the metal ring on the bell’s crown.  This bell would have been threaded along a horizontal metal bar situated over a temple shrine, with perhaps a dozen similar bells, for devotees to brush their fingers along to announce their presence to the Gods. 

One can only imagine the centuries of ringing and rocking back and forth needed to reduce the thickness of the bronze ring to what it is now!   This is clear evidence of the bell’s great antiquity!

The rung note is a fabulous and near perfect pitch sixth octave D6 (1164Hz).

This shrine bell has been hand cast in a bronze alloy by the lost wax method, and is therefore a unique one-off item.   It has the typical Himalayan hanging bell shape, but is a little larger and heavier than usual.  Apart from the wear to the crown it is in  excellent condition with an aged patina acquired over the centuries.  

When you buy, handle, and ring one of these antique bells you can be confident that it is a genuine and revered holy instrument that has played an important part in countless sacred rituals and ceremonies for at least 100 years. Each bell is a fascinating and beautiful object in its own right, with the look and feel of antiquity…but perhaps more importantly, when it is rung one can sense the spiritual energy, power and purpose with which it is imbued, and the present ineffably connects to the past.