Thadobati Singing Bowls
Basic Shape: High Wall, Straight Side, Flat Bottom, Plain Lip (Grooved in Heavy Bowls)
Thadobati Singing Bowls are among the oldest bowl forms, with some examples dating back to at least the 15th century. Many show signs of considerable use, with hammered surfaces and engraved markings worn smooth over the years. Old Thadobati bowls are fairly numerous and relatively inexpensive, so they are often the first bowl a person buys, but their quality varies considerably and good ones are increasingly hard to find.
Thadobati bowls are characterized by having almost straight high-sided walls and a wide flat bottom, the diameter of which is sometimes only a little less than the rim. Walls can be thick or thin, but are seldom graduated. The lip is usually plain on small and medium weight bowls, and rarely thicker than the wall itself. Heavy bowls often have thicker and wider lips that may be grooved or decorated with a ribbon of mala beads or sun symbols (dots within circles). Often the circles are worn down and only the dots remain. Extra-thick and heavy Thadobati bowls frequently have slightly lumpy and uneven walls due to difficulties encountered during the forging process.
Decoration elsewhere is fairly minimal…perhaps just a row or two of punched dots or gashes below the rim on the external wall and some concentric circles radiating from the centre of the basin. A few bowls are more extensively decorated with a ribbon of mala beads or suns set within a pair of incised parallel lines below the outer rim, or sometimes between a pair of concentric circles at the bowl’s centre.
Sometimes the outer wall has a decorative fringe of sun motifs arranged as downward facing triangles, and occasionally one finds an irregular sequence of sacred or ritually made gashes or fine-tuning cuts below the rim (the tone of a bowl can be altered by removing metal). Some old bowls carry dot-punched inscriptions or dedications, and these add both interest and value.
Very few Thadobati singing bowls have talking or fountain abilities, but they do have wonderful singing voices covering about 4 octaves (some notes are rarer than others). They are generally hand held and are easy and rewarding to play with either a suede or wooden ringer, although small bowls respond better to the latter. The rim note is more commonly played than the struck fundamental note, and the rim note may change with the type of ringer used. Large bowls sound best with a suede ringer. Large, thick and heavy bowls in a good state of preservation (free of major stains and blemishes) with a superb sound and long sustain are highly prized by collectors.
Ultabati Singing Bowls
Basic Shape: Large and Caldron-like, round bottom, scooped rim and downward-sloping lip.
​
Ultabati Singing Bowls are impressively large, capacious and caldron-like. Their external walls frequently have two contrasting surface finishes…one for the first 3 or 4 cm band below the rim (the collar), and another for everything beneath it. Its downward-sloping lip and gently scooped collar will typically be smooth to the touch and a natural bronze colour, while the rest of the bowl will normally be finely textured with hammer markings.
Sometimes this lower surface will be blackened or mottled to contrast with the collar, and sometimes it is left a natural bronze. A single incised line normally marks the boundary between the two contrasting areas. The inside of the bowl is often finely polished to a beautiful golden bronze, and there may be several incised decorative concentric circles radiating from its centre. Occasionally a large bowl will be found with an incised (not punched) inscription below the collar.
Ultabati singing bowls are characterized by their stunning good looks and vibrant energy. Like the Jambati, they are capable of producing fabulously low tones with very long sustains. But they have finer walls and tend to be a little wider and squatter than the average Jambati, and this difference facilitates a lower vibrational resonance and timbre that can be physically felt some distance away from the bowl’s surface. Their fundamental notes focus on the low second and third octaves whether struck with a padded mallet or played around the rim with a leather ringer. Many are capable of producing the low humming OM sound that is favored by Buddhists and, with a little water inside, most will make vibrant surface patterns and produce spectacular fountains.
It takes 3 or 4 highly skilled craftsmen working together to forge a single Ultabati singing bowl, and a lot of valuable metal. Buying or bartering for one would have been a major event for its original Himalayan owner. Old Ultabati bowls may have their origins in East Nepal. They are often found in a good state of preservation…evidence that they have been well cared for, used for grain storage, or put to some ceremonial, ritual or musical use.
​
Jambati Singing Bowls
Basic Shape: Gracefully Curved Wall, Small Flat Bottom, Wide Plain Inward-Facing Lip
Jambati Singing Bowls are the largest and heaviest of the singing bowl family, and arguably the most beautiful. These stunning singing bowls are characterized by quite high and gracefully curved walls, a small flat bottom, and typically a generous triangulated inward-facing lip that may be plain or grooved. In some bowls the lip is merely the sheared top of the wall, and does not turn inward. Decoration is minimal and usually confined to a few simple incised lines forming a band or collar close to the outer rim, and several incised concentric circles radiating from the centre of the basin.
These hand-beaten bowls nearly always have attractive hammer markings arising from the forging process. They are particularly evident on the outside of the bowl where they subtly reflect the light. High quality bowls tend to have smaller hammer marks, and sometimes an incised (not dot punched) inscription in the form of a mantra, name or dedication.
It takes 3 or 4 highly skilled craftsmen working together to forge a single Jambati bowl…and a lot of valuable metal. Commissioning such a bowl would have been a major expense for its original Himalayan owner.
Most of the old Jambati bowls around today are thought to date from the 17th to 19th century. Many are found in an excellent state of preservation for their age…evidence that they have been well cared for, or put to a ceremonial, ritual or musical use. Larger bowls may also have been used for grain storage during their lifetime.
Jambati singing bowls are capable of producing wonderfully low and sonorous tones with a long sustain. Fundamental notes generally range from the 2nd to 4th octave when struck with a padded mallet. The rim note is usually the same if played with a suede ringer, but may be higher if a wooden one is used. Many bowls have complex multiple overtones. Some fundamental notes, such as F and G, are fairly abundant, while others like A and D are extremely illusive. Low second octave bowls are particularly sought-after.
Some people choose only to strike their Jambati bowl, while others prefer to play them. Both methods require a little practice to realize a bowl's full potential. A medium weight Jambati can be held in the hand and played around the rim with a suede ringer, but the larger bowls are too heavy and need to be placed on a mat or cushion. Jambati bowls are not known for their talking ability, but many are capable of producing vibrant surface patterns and spectacular fountains when played around the rim with a little water inside. This is particularly true of large bowls with a low octave note. Jambati bowls are commonly used in a variety of healing therapies including chakra balancing and sound bathing.
This is my all-time favourite bowl type, and if I could only have one singing bowl it would be a large Jambati! These handsome antique bowls look and sound wonderful, and no collection would be complete without at least one.